001Okay, um, as we'd all stand, I'd like to call the April I think it's the 9th, wasn't it? Yes. Um, Addison Township Zoning Board of Appeals meeting to order. Um, we'll start with Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Right, uh, if we could have a, uh, roll call of members. Yes. Alden Kaminski. Here. Phil Marshall. Here. Mark Smith. Here. Jay Sandler. Here. Edward Pope. Here. Tony Spina. Here. Robert DeWitt. Present. Okay. Um, uh, next, uh, item on the agenda would be approval of tonight's agenda. I'll make that motion we approve the agenda for, uh, April the 9th, 2026. Support. Any discussion? Yes. Okay. The township was
002notified, I guess I don't know where the sickness is, but the township was notified on January 2nd that the application 25-2 from Anthony Red and Bazo on on the lake Right, head waters. had been withdrawn. I was going to treat that under, uh, correspondence. Okay. Fine. Okay. I don't think there's any official action we have to take. Um, I was just going to actually think about the motion to actually officially close it with no solution, no answer, but just Okay, if you want to Add it to the agenda, maybe? Yep. Sure, go ahead and add to the agenda after our of officers. Sure. Number four. So, you want to amend uh I'll make an amendment to the motion. Okay. Adding item four, Brendazzo. I support stands. Yeah, we can do that. Good. All right. Uh
003any further discussion? Hearing none, if we have a roll call vote on the approval of the agenda as amended. Tony Spina. Yes. >> Ed Breitenbach. >> Yes. Jay Sandler. Jay Sandler. Jay. Yeah. Yes. Mark Smith. Yes. Robert Dwyre. Yes. Okay, motion passes. Okay, um next item on the agenda would be approval of the November 13th, 2025 minutes. I make a motion. I'll second. Any discussion? Uh no discussion. Um we would ask that uh we have a roll call vote approving the uh minutes. Jay Sandler. Yes. Mark Smith. Yes. Ed Breitenbach. Yes. Tony Spina. Yes. Robert Dwyre. Yes. Okay. All right. Next item on the agenda is our public hearing for case number 26-1, applicant Robert and Bonnie George. I take it you're Robert and you're Bonnie. Correct. >> Okay, very good. Um Just so you
004know, this is our public hearing where we take testimony from the public first, and then uh or comments from the public first, and then you can present yours your case to the board. Okay? Okay. Um so, I'd like to first open up the meeting to public comments on the application. Have a motion to do that? So moved. I'll second. Okay. Uh any discussion? Hearing none, if we have a vote a roll call vote on approval with that. Tony Spinner. Yes. Jay Sandler. Yes. Edward Miller. Yes. Mark Smith. Yes. >> Robert Hewitt. Okay. So, let's record reflect that at 6:05 we opened it up to the public for comments. Um so, all right. Anybody in the public in in the audience want to vote? No, you're good. Okay. Camera guy says we're good. Um so, there's
005no comments from the public on this application. Um if we could have a motion to close the public >> that motion to close the public hearing. I'll second. Okay. Any discussion? Hearing none. Um if we have a roll call vote closing the public comment on this application. It is now 6:06. Jay Sandler. Yes. Mark Smith. >> Yes. Robert Hewitt. Yes. Tony Spinner. Yes. >> Edward Miller. Yes. Okay. All right. Um Robert or Bonnie, if you would like to address the board with your uh application. That's good. We're doing this together. Since we're in this together. Um we appreciate the opportunity to request a variance to build a pole barn which would be completely in our front yard. Um our house was built in '96. We bought it in 2015. Actually, it was a group home
006when we first bought it. Um Progressive Lifestyles. I don't know if anybody remembers them, but uh it was a unique home. It had alarms on every door. Uh it was fenced in the backyard so people could not leave. Um it it was a little intimidating at first. But, what we wanted is we saw long-term value of this house and the beauty. And we viewed it, we're recently retired, as our long-term forever home. So, that's kind of why we want to invest in it and make it ours. Um And it And we wanted a ranch, and that's what it has. So, what we're looking to is build a pole barn in our front yard. And Bobby, you want to tell them what you want to do with it? Yeah, well, it's uh It's like a farm,
007so there's some equipment that comes along with, you know, turn up keep you up keep with the the yard. And I'm having to store the stuff in my basement and my garage. And I'd like to park my truck inside, too, cuz it's rotting out in the yard. But uh I would I'm looking for something where I can do, you know, small welding and woodwork. Those are my two hobbies. I was a clay modeler for Chrysler for 19 years. And uh I was just looking for something to keep me busy and occupied while I'm not working on the house. We've got that kind of caught up at the moment, so we just need more space. Some some storage area. Okay. Um so, if you look at the way our house is built, and I I have
008there in the diagram where the house is, it's built on the back of the property. Um and it's a hill. We have a walkout basement. So, along the sides of our home, we have about a 12-to-14-ft elevation drop. So, the sides of the home are really kind of cumbersome to build on, if not impossible. The back of the house is low, and that drops about 8 or 10 ft in the back. And we have flooding. And Yeah, we had it this last week uh this flooding. And our neighbors have it much worse than we do. So, anything to build in to grade that, to elevate it, it would disrupt ours, and it would And it would disrupt our neighbors. So, the sides of the house in the back make it really hard to build. If
009you look to, and I think on one of the diagrams I laid out where the septic and the well is, it's on the What would be the northwest? >> Northeast. Yeah, northeast. >> Northeast. Northeast side of the home and it kind of veers in the back and then goes to the front. That's where our septic field is. So, all around what would be the front of the home in the back is almost impractical to build on. So, when we looked at the front of the house um on what would be the west side of the driveway is all our utility lines the gas line that So, that makes that side of the house not easy to build on. So, the only thing that's really available would be the northeast side of the property. Plus, there's
010a 3-ft drop on that side, too. Um we did get uh three of signatures of our neighbors and we did talk the two other neighbors that were close. One just moved in and we hadn't met them yet and I didn't want to ask for a signature not even having met them. So, but we did talk to them and everybody seems to be okay. We haven't had any real concerns. Nobody voiced any concerns. One neighbor said, "Can I come over and look?" And I said, "Sure." So, he did look at where we're going to build. So, that's kind of where we're at um and so what we're requesting today is to build in the front yard. Okay. Um let's start with uh Mark, do you have any questions of the applicant? I do not. Thank you.
011Tony? Uh thank you. Your your explanation is pretty good. Uh my only question is you're thinking about siding the barn quite a ways frontwards from your house. Correct. >> Yeah. Back a little closer to your house. You have a a pad looks like a concrete pad >> Yeah, that's where he parks his trucks now. That Just the other side of that pad is exactly where our septic field is and there's a 10-ft set setback from the the septic field, also. I understand. >> Which really encroaches on everything in that area. Yeah, they I'm looking at this. Yeah, you're right. Yeah, I know what you're talking So, we'd have to take down >> about on on the south side of that parking spot. I'm thinking on the north side. Closer to the home. >> More south
012on your property, but still north of that parking pad. Right, we'd have to take down a significant number of trees, probably about 12 trees in there. And then That's the beauty of it. Yeah. It drops off to the side and it drops off to the back, also. So, I mean, that's a possibility, but it would require Yeah, it would be many trucks of fill to do that. >> And tree removal. You're all welcome to show up. I will show you exactly what we're looking at. Oh, I would appreciate it. In your description, okay, do you the slope on both sides of your house going to the back? Mhm. Is it even feasible to drive a truck or anything to the back because of the slope? >> I have If trees were there, no trees, could
013you drive the truck comfortably without getting worried about it leaning too much? Very I have done it before because I used my my walkout as a loading dock. Yeah. That's what I brought materials in and equipment. But now that I've landscaped that, it's it's very nice lawn now, and I don't want to tear it up. So, >> the lawn. So, it is still conceivable you could drive on it. I could if I needed to. Yeah, it it's about a 14-ft >> question is if you did move it to the back, let's say you brought backfill and leveled it up. >> Okay. Do you even have enough room for the setbacks to build a pool back >> No. What is the setback on the 25 >> ft from the back of the property line. >> Yeah.
014ft from And I think your pole barn your building's going to be dropped out 10 ft from your house. Right. So they showed we have about 75 ft to the rear. >> the 30 30 ft. And then we have the setback which you said was So it's a 30 ft setback? I'm not sure it was a 30. I thought it was 50. 15 on the side 30 in the back. Yeah. So let's say 30. There is right through your house. Okay, so 30 30 so it would be 15 ft away from the home. It's right there. I mean you really The only thing I It is it is big and it's very it's very low. Yeah, it's a bog. It's a bog. Right and I am concerned I can imagine you go down into a
015wetland. Oh yeah. Right. And my favorite neighbors are got it the worst and I would be heartsick if I made it worse on them. It's also a deer trail too. Elevating it. That was my concern. I would like to see it. Sure. I would show you. It's difficult but I will try my very best. You're welcome. You're very welcome. Okay. No. Jake? Um you know like a lot of these these cases it's hard to get a real feel for the property by looking at it in one dimension. Well I agree. I agree. Oh yeah. We typically come out in between this meeting and and the meeting we'll have next month and we'll make a detailed evaluation. And and uh And you know we know we'll give you a call and and you know what you
016know what we'll call and make an appointment so I appreciate it. So we're there and we can kind of show you what we're dealing with. The engine 4166 the property That's mine. Yeah. That's your number. That's my number. That's all I The one question I had I probably have more questions once I get after >> Oh absolutely. >> Okay. Sure. Yeah. Okay. We'll connect visit. Aldridge do you have any questions of the applicant? It's a flat now where you're trying to put it now. Is that going to cause any drainage issues for No, it's already done. Is it? Yeah, we already we tore it down about 6 8 in and backfilled it with sand. It it's been flowing fine. Yeah, we kind of jumped the gun on that. >> slopes across the driveway to the
017other side. It goes across the last so it doesn't Yeah. Okay. It goes across my driveway so it's It's all right. Have you had any standing water there after this rain monsoon we had last week? Not in that location, no. No, not in the back. In the back, oh yes. >> Oh yeah, yeah. How was it? I'm just kind of curious. I see there's some paddocks back behind the property line. How flooded are those paddocks right now? Um they were holding Well, it was like a river run through it. It was an active current in those paddocks. I probably should have asked and I could if you When you guys come out, I'll welcome Greg and Melissa Heron who own that property. Um because they're the ones who would be affected if we added any
018fill. Okay. Cuz the other one is vacant property and nobody's really around there very much. Okay. Uh any other questions from the board? Okay. Applicant, anything else you want to add? Just a couple questions. Um okay, so the way I understand this is we meet tonight, we present it in you're welcome to come out and then next meeting you will decide yay nay. Correct. Yeah, right. Really, this is your presentation. This is your speech and uh you know, uh argument why you need it. Okay. And then we can have some more discussion uh next month on the matter um and then we'll make a decision. Okay. And then how do you notify us? Um Of following up. Okay. Yeah, I'm assuming you'll be here next month, but you would know then. Okay, do I show
019up next month? I would recommend it. Okay, I Okay, that would be good. May 14th? Yeah. Yeah, in other words, this is the agenda for next month, so you could be there. Okay. >> Okay. We will. And you said you had a couple of questions, is that it? Yeah, no. Um, now this reading the stuff in the zoning, it talks about a natural feature setback. We do have some trees, like four or five, they're sporadic, they're not like a true setback, that are going to be less than 25 ft from the building. I think it was 12 to somewhere >> 18 ft. Yeah, away. Is that >> five or six trees is there, but if if they impede on the building at any point, I'll probably take them. I don't want to take them unless
020I have to. Cuz they're oaks and maples. I think the intent of that is to stay back away from waters of the state or wetlands, right? It's not so much trees. Yeah. Is it the wetlands primarily? Mhm. Yeah, it's not wetlands. Yeah, we don't honestly, we're fortunate enough, the river or the What do you call What would you call that, where the water collects on the right? The creek. The creek is on the other person's property. >> So on the neighboring property. The vacant land property. Got you. Okay, so you don't see that as an issue. That was my only concern. I didn't want to take down any more trees than we had to. Is that it? Any other issues that you see that you're uncomfortable with or I think after everybody comes and take
021the board members take a look at the property, they may have more questions next month. And we'll ask you about them then. Okay. And like you said, we did jump the gun and what do you call it? We >> the platform in for the Just just the sand. So if we if it doesn't pass, we'll have to just put it back to lawn. Right. So, I just wanted to forewarn you we jumped the gun on that. We understand. Okay? Okay. >> Um that's it. Okay, so um that will You know, I did forget to read the actual application into the record. Um if I could do that now, uh I'm sorry to bore you with that. But, the application um is for property at 2747 Ray Road zoning in the suburban farms uh parcel ID
022is 0517351015. The size parcel size is 2 and 1/2 acres. And the applicant seeks a non-use dimensional variance of 30 by 32 or 960 square foot pole frame accessory structure approximately 170.8 ft into the complete and completely in the front yard. Structure begins 129.3 ft in front of the furthest point of the main building. The variance request is from the Township of Addison Code of Ordinances Appendix A zoning uh Article 4 Section 4.21.2.B. Um Paragraph B would be an accessory building located in an SE or SF district shall meet the minimum yard setback requirements of the district in which the accessory building or structure is located and shall not be located in the front yard. I don't know if that changes anybody's mind about anything, but it's in the record now. Okay? So, I guess
023we'll close on number two on the agenda and we'll move to number three, election of officers, chair, vice chair, and secretary. So. So, um we're open for motions to nominate people. I nominate Mr. DeWitt for chairman. Okay. Any other nominations? Can I make a nomination that we just keep it exactly the way it is cuz everything is working nice. You can make a motion to that effect. >> we leave all the officers exactly the way they are. I'll second that. Okay. Yes. Who is the vice chair? Um not sure. It was What was the question? Who's the vice chair? >> chair? It was never the position was never replaced, so we do need to >> I think Mark is. It was Lawrence. Then who >> Who took over Lawrence? Who took over as vice chair?
024Since you're the Um I don't know if anybody was sworn in as vice chair. Pardon? What are you, Tony? Secretary. Secretary. I think Mark is. I thought we elected Mark vice chair when he came on the board. >> so. Let's amend our motion to specify who's being >> Okay. I'll amend it. Um Bob would be president chair, Mark vice chair, Tony secretary. Who else is missing? That's it. That's it. That's it. Support? Mark supports? Okay. Um if we could any discussion on the motion? >> Well, only a question. Since you, Mark, is on the planning commission, can he be the vice chair of this board? Um Pauline's not in here yet. Yes. Yes. Oh, okay. Done. Okay. Um any other discussion? So, if we have a roll call vote on the uh election of officers.
025I just want to verify did Mark support the motion? I did. Thank you. Jay Sandler. Yes. Audrey Field. Yes. Tony Spina. Yes. Mark Smith. >> Yes. >> Robert Dwyre. Yes. Okay, motion passes. Good memory, Jay. Okay. Item number four on the agenda is the Randazzo application from last year. Um Uh I'd like to make a motion that um this board accepts the withdrawal of that petition. Considers the motion closed with no decision. The application closed. >> closed with no decision. I'll second that. Uh any discussion on the motion? Hearing none, if we have a roll call vote on that, please. Mark Smith. Yes. >> Tracey Kelley. Yes. >> Edward Kilburn. Yes. Tony Stina. >> Yes. Robert Twit. Yes. Motion passes. Okay. Now is the time for our public forum where anybody in the audience can
026make can make comments to the board. Anybody in the audience want to make any comments? No one wanting to make a comment, we'll move on to the next item. Other business. Correspondence received. Okay. Um Is there any correspondence received by anybody? Okay. Uh zoning board reports. So, the planning commission will be happy to welcome our new planner to the next meeting, which is next week, correct? Next week, Tuesday. Um we have a wetlands application before us. And uh that is it at the moment, if I remember correctly. And the training, yeah. And the training, yeah. So. I have a I have a question, Mark. Yes, sir. Has the planning commission had any discussion, just talking about what happens if we get somebody wanting to put a a data center in the township? We have. Okay.
027It's been light to this point. Um the board of trustees voted on a moratorium at one of their recent meetings that lasts until I don't know. It was a year long, and I think um January or February will be the 12 months and we can extend it. Yeah, but we also don't want to drag our feet if we can help it, but we do need to do our review of our master plan. It has been a very long time since that has been done. And I'm you know, not saying for certain, but I would hope that we can include the data center in the master plan review to whatever we choose to do would be included in that review and revisions of the master plan. So. Now, I've seen too many 11:00 news with rooms
028like this full of people yelling about data centers. We need to be prepared. Oh, East of us in Washington and Rain and Romeo and Juliet is like a firecracker topic cuz I get a little paper from there. The other thing that we have looked at, but not taken any action on it at this point. We're waiting for the state legislature to see what they do, is battery centers and storage and generation solar generation. There's a certain limit that the township may be able to control and then over and that over above that the state may have control and just tell you you have no say in it. And that's all still being flushed out at the state level and then till it becomes a little more clear what's going to happen, I think we have
029decided not to take action at this point. That will stay on our uh on our radar, if you will. All right. Any other reports or correspondence? Okay. Um Then the next would be a motion for adjournment. I'll make that motion. >> I'll second. Any discussion? All in favor? I. >> I. Opposed? None. Motion passes. The meeting is adjourned. Thanks.