The Decatur Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday approved five land‑use petitions, including a home‑based machine shop and multiple setback and lot‑coverage variances for a residential redevelopment project.
Board members first granted a special exception allowing a resident on North 10th Street to operate a small machine shop inside an attached garage. The applicant described the work as a secondary occupation conducted in an air‑conditioned space with doors closed, noting that equipment noise would remain below the stated 75‑decibel residential nuisance threshold. He said machining is performed dry, with no liquids entering the wastewater system, and that only two people work in the garage. Hours of operation were listed as 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. The board attached all conditions the applicant listed in his petition and said any future expansion beyond those terms would require a return appearance. No opposition was raised.
The board also approved a variance waiving the additional parking space normally required for a home occupation at the same address. A nearby resident spoke about a yellow no‑parking curb line in front of the property, but board members said the marking was a street‑department matter unrelated to the zoning request.
A second applicant sought three variances for a project on Madison Street involving a garage replacement, porch work, and expanded lot coverage. The board approved a rear‑yard setback variance described in the transcript as a 75.6‑inch change for a 6‑inch setback, with an additional figure stated as “12T 6 in,” which was unclear. Members required the north exterior garage wall to be built with one‑hour fire‑rated material. A side‑yard setback variance of 2 feet 6 inches for a 5‑foot‑6‑inch setback was also approved. The final request, a lot‑coverage variance allowing 56 percent coverage where 35 percent is normally permitted, passed after staff said drainage concerns were manageable. No public comments were offered on any of the three petitions.
Board members briefly discussed upcoming business, including a future request involving a small porch or deck extension at another property, before adjourning.