WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — The city’s Board of Zoning Appeals tabled a contested duplex proposal on North Street on June 17 after a neighbor raised concerns about flooding, a leaning retaining wall and lost privacy, while approving a separate single-family home variance elsewhere on the same street.
The board voted unanimously to approve a setback variance allowing developer Clinton Black to build a new single-family home at 503 S. North St., despite objections from neighbor Kim McGill, who lives at 507 S. North St. McGill told the board she was concerned about the spacing between the homes, a loss of privacy and construction noise, and asked whether she might be able to buy the property herself. Board members encouraged Black to talk with her, though the vote proceeded regardless.
City Building Official Rod Bryant told the board the site’s previous use was a two-family dwelling that had already been torn down, and said a new single-family home there was the least disruptive option for the surrounding neighborhood.
A second application from Black, for 610 N. North St., drew more pushback. The project is a duplex, but Bryant acknowledged the public notice mailed to neighbors mistakenly described it as a single-family home due to a typo.
Katherine Lanning, who lives at 606 N. North St., told the board the duplex would sit about 7 feet from her bedroom window and raised concerns about a leaning retaining wall, a nearby gas line and drainage on the long-vacant lot, which she said collects standing water at its center. She argued that using the alley for access was impractical in winter and disputed that the lot’s size amounted to a hardship justifying the variance, saying Black knew the property’s constraints when he bought it.
Board members questioned Black about insurance coverage, drainage plans and whether the layout could be revised or landscaped to create more distance and privacy between the buildings. Bryant said such changes were possible. Black and Lanning agreed to discuss the project further, and the board voted unanimously to table the application rather than approve or reject it outright.
The board also welcomed a new member, Steve Willis, introduced by Bryant at the start of the meeting.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Washington Court House Board of Zoning Appeals meeting minutes.
