The Plymouth Board of Zoning Appeals granted a total of five variances during their meeting Tuesday night.
The first variance request was from Maria and Richard Wallace at 2200 Lake Avenue. The Wallaces received a side yard setback variance to allow an existing carport to be 3 feet from the property line instead of the standard 10 feet.
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth at 1915 Lake Avenue received a variance of developmental standard to allow 6 informational signs which exceed the standard of 6 square feet. Three of the signs will be at the entrances on Lake Avenue and 3 are way-finding signs internal on the 15 acre development.
Beckmann Properties received a variance of development standard to allow an additional 48 square foot sign at Turn One Motor Sports on US 30. Andy Beckmann was granted permission to add a 4 foot by 12 foot sign to the existing highway sign bring the total square footage to 240 feet while the city’s standard is 75 sq. feet.
George Holzwart was granted a variance of use to operate a detail shop and dealer license at 1117 West Madison Street in a Traditional Residential zoning district. Holzwart said he built the property in 1980 as a commercial site and it has always operated as commercial. It appears the zoning was changed on the property in 2008 and Holzwart claims he was never notified. Since he has operated a business continuously at the site the Plymouth Board of Zoning Appeals approved the variance. Holzwart indicated he would like to have the zoning changed back to commercial.
The final variance was for the City of Plymouth. City Attorney Sean Surrisi asked the BZA to approve three gateway monument signs that are each in excess of the city’s standard of 32 square feet.
Two smaller signs will be located on South Michigan and West Jefferson and the third, a much larger sign originally planned for the center of the round-a-bout has been relocated to the southwest corner of the intersection in the county’s right-of-way under the large pine tree.
With only three members of the BZA present all five requests were unanimous approvals.
