SHELBYVILLE. The Shelbyville Board of Zoning Appeals held a special called meeting Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. in the Planning & Building Codes Building, 100 N. Cannon Blvd. Members first chose a chair pro tem to run the meeting, then approved the minutes of the Sept. 1 special called meeting.

Plum Hill Drive withdrawn

The first item, a variance for rear and side setbacks at 601 Plum Hill Drive, was withdrawn at the applicant's request. Planning staff said the builder had found a house model that fits the lot within the setbacks.

Morton Street deferred

The second item was a rear-setback variance for a 0.14-acre lot on Morton Street (tax map 078I, group A, parcel 025.00), zoned R-3. Robert Butts is the owner, and St. John Engineering is the representative.

Staff said the lot is about 6,270 square feet, smaller than the 7,500-square-foot minimum for R-3, which makes it a non-complying lot of record that can still be built on. The request would let the house sit about 16.2 feet from the rear line instead of the required 20 feet. Staff said the lot has never been developed, likely because it had no sewer. The developer is working to extend sewer from the Shelbyville Housing Authority property to the south.

Staff walked the board through the variance standards. The lot's narrow shape was not created by the owner, but staff said a strict reading could treat the encroachment as self-created and could set a precedent for similar requests. Staff also noted a house could fit within the setbacks if it were smaller.

The project engineer from St. John Engineering said the proposed home is about 1,019 square feet, in keeping with the smaller older homes nearby, and called the request the least variance needed for a workable house.

Board members asked whether the encroachment would be a deck or the house itself. It is the house. They voted to defer the item one month so the applicant can bring a house plan and driveway layout showing exactly what would sit in the setback. Staff said a deferral avoids a new application fee.

Cedar Glade storage approved

The board approved a special exception for "Cedar Glade Storage," a self-storage use on a 9.32-acre parcel on Cedar Glade Circle (tax map 069, parcel 055.06) owned by Alcorn Properties, LLC. The parcel is part of a planned unit development with a base zoning of C-2, General Business, where self-storage is allowed as a special exception.

Staff said the PUD was amended in January to add commercial lots, with higher-density residential to the north and south. Staff said the vote was on the use only. Site design, access, a new road, architectural materials, landscaping, and screening from nearby homes still need Planning Commission approval.

Officers and training

The board elected a new chair and vice chair and welcomed two new members. Staff said a joint training session for the Planning Commission and BZA is planned for Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. in the same building.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0wzaorIjg8

Agenda: City of Shelbyville public notices, shelbyvilletn.org

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