Earlier this month the Plymouth Plan Commission considered the request for three variances from Adam and Katherine Foust for their homestead site at 10715 Muckshaw Road.
The pair was represented at the meeting by Joe Adams, Katherine’s father and proposed next-door neighbor.
City Planning Consultant Ralph Booker explained the request to reduce the side yard setback from the required 10 feet to five feet to build a 30 by 40 pole barn on a section of the lot that is only 50 feet wide. The third variance requested was to permit the construction of an accessory building, the pole barn before the home construction has begun.
Booker said the 1-acre parcel was recently divided from Mr. Adams’ 6.5-acre parcel. The lot created is long and narrow and a variance was granted to permit the lot to only be 100 feet wide at the road and in the rear, it is only 50 feet wide.
Mr. Adams said the kids have put down a 10% payment to the contractor to build the home, but they can’t start until late summer or early fall. The pole barn contractor has time now to put the barn up, but the city doesn’t allow the accessary structure before the primary structure.
There were no comments during the public hearing.
Paul Wendel who was in West Virginia attending the meeting online made the motion to approve the variance for the 5-foot setback and to permit the building within the 50-foot-wide section of the parcel, but he denied the request to build the pole barn first. It was seconded by Mark Gidley who said, “The city had granted a pretty big concession with the size of the lot and the exceptions for the setbacks and location of the pole barn” but he too, felt the barn should happen after the house was constructed.
That motion was approved with a 4 to 1 vote with Art Jacobs voting against the motion. He noted that he wanted the Fousts to be able to build the pole barn before the home.
Plan Commission member Brandon Richie asked how much construction needed to be completed on the home before the pole barn could be started.
Mr. Adams also asked how far along construction on the home needs to be before they can build the pole barn.
Mr. Richie asked what the city’s rule is on the construction, just the basement or completion with light switches and doorknobs.
The comment was also made by Gidley that the Plan Commission has interpreted the statement to say the home needed to be completed and Mr. Richie asked if they had been correctly interpreting the ordinance.
At that point, Mr. Wendel asked to rescind his motion because he was having trouble hearing the discussion and the commission continued discussions after the motion was approved.
Mr. Wendel’s motion was rescinded, and Brandon Richie made another motion to approve the variances allowing the pole barn to be constructed once the building permit is pulled for the home and the foundation is in place. The variances for the location of the pole barn and the setbacks were also approved.
