Zoning Appeal On East College Rural Residential Setback
A Westerville homeowner won a zoning variance Thursday after asking the Board of Zoning Appeals to let her keep a newly built rear addition on an East College Avenue property that city staff said has long stood out as a zoning mismatch.
The 0.38-acre property at 611 E. College Ave. is zoned Rural Residential, a holdover from Westerville’s 1996 annexation of the area from Blendon Township. Staff said the lot functions as a typical single-family lot, though it is too small to meet even that zoning’s requirements.
The board unanimously approved the request, allowing the addition to stay with a 15-foot side-yard setback, even though city code sets a 25-foot minimum in the RR district.
Homeowner Audrey Patterson told the board the project began as an effort to replace a crumbling rear porch and deck at the back of the house. She said the older structure was deteriorating, lacked a foundation, and had become unsafe.
Patterson also acknowledged that she did not obtain a permit before completing the work. She explained that a misunderstanding with the contractor led to the oversight, and she is now working to obtain the permit and the required city inspections.
The variance was needed because the 336-square-foot addition sits 15 feet from the east property line, 10 feet short of the side-yard setback required under Westerville’s Rural Residential standards.
City planning staff supported the request, explaining that the lot’s zoning is outdated and does not suit the property or neighborhood. Staff planner Justin Lodge said several former township lots annexed into Westerville don’t meet the RR district’s three-acre minimum size.
Lodge added that the property is more like a single-family lot but is still undersized for the city’s R-1 zoning standards.
That context shaped the staff’s recommendation. Lodge told board members that similar variances have been granted on comparable former township lots, including approvals allowing setbacks as close as 10 feet.
Staff said the addition could have moved farther west to meet the code setback, but they described the current placement as more practical and noted it does not extend closer to the property line than the house’s existing line.
No one spoke during the public-comment portion of the hearing, and the board discussion was brief. The only substantive question from the board focused on whether any addition in that part of the lot could realistically avoid the need for a variance given the home’s existing placement.
Lodge said only a significant shift west would have avoided the need for a variance. He also said the addition fits the site well and will not adversely affect surrounding properties or government services.
After the vote, Patterson said she had hired an Amish builder for the work and described the finished addition as well-built. The board approved the variance without conditions. Staff noted Patterson must still submit a permit application and have the addition inspected for compliance.
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