Entering the 'Maze of Zoning'

"In November, a Circuit Court decision raised the legal threshold for granting variances. Establishing "undue hardship" - the justification for making exceptions - had become increasingly important.

City staffers recommended that all the variances heard Wednesday be denied because they didn't meet the new standard.

Welcome to the imperfect world of the Board of Zoning Appeals, where folks who want to build an addition, a deck or a porch become intimately familiar with the maze of city zoning laws, and where 18 inches can mean the difference between keeping or losing your new shed.

Members of the zoning appeals board are appointed to five-year terms by the City Council and essentially act as a panel of judges. They enforce the code while allowing for common-sense flexibility and exceptions.

"The hardship was, we're sympathetic," board member Joan Wright said.

"Sorry. Not good enough," replied Wilson, who never did hear a legal-hardship explanation for the case.

In November, a Circuit Court decision raised the legal threshold for granting variances. Establishing "undue hardship" - the justification for making exceptions - had become increasingly important."