The Brookfield Village Board has unanimously approved two zoning variances, allowing property owners relief from standard setback and green space requirements.
The first variance, at 4125 Dale Avenue, allows a front yard setback of 12 feet 9 inches instead of the required 25 feet. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval unanimously.
The second variance, at 3306 Sunnyside Avenue, increases building coverage from 35 percent to 40.5 percent and reduces required green space from 40 percent to 35.3 percent. It also addresses an existing non-conforming garage in a single-family district. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval unanimously.
Trustee Jennifer Strauss Hendricks said the second case reflects a common problem in Brookfield.
“This is a situation we see a lot,” Hendricks said. “It’s what the code would consider a substandard lot, but the people who are living there wouldn’t. They just need a larger garage to meet the standards of what people are used to living with now.”
The village is working to address the issue at the code level. Hendricks said the zoning commission and staff are developing code changes to streamline the process for similar requests, so homeowners won’t have to go through the full variance process each time.
“The zoning commission and staff are working hard to make sure that we have a new way of figuring these things out so that not everyone in this situation is going to have to go through this entire process,” Hendricks said.
Both variances passed unanimously.