The Guilderland Zoning Board of Appeals, at its Wednesday, Aug. 20, meeting, denied the application of Wilfredo Cano, of 22 Park Ave., to make several expansive improvements to his home.
Cano did not attend the meeting, however, several of his neighbors were there to petition the board to prevent the application.
We can make a decision tonight even though [a representative for Cano] is not here, said Peter Barber, chairman of the zoning board. `There are less obtrusive alternatives. The variances are substantial and almost unprecedented in a residential setting.`
Chief Building Inspector Donald Cropsey said Cano was asking for too much leniency.
`He’s expanding way beyond what we would allow even for a conforming lot,` Cropsey said.
Cano stated in his application form that his plans would not significantly
change the character of the neighborhood.
`This is [an] old neighborhood with close setback and other properties [have] done the same as I am doing,` he wrote.
He cited his children as the primary reason for the need to expand the residence.
A letter from Elsa Cano said the couple’s three children should be able to each have their own bedroom.
Cano proposed four separate area variances. All four were denied.
He petitioned the board to allow him to construct a 24-by-37-foot, two-story addition to the existing single-story home, according to information provided by the building department.
Cano requested a 2,000-square-foot variance on the lot, as well as a 21 percent variance on the lot coverage. He also requested a 4.25-foot variance on the front yard setback and a 5-foot variance for each side lot, according to the information.
The Planning Board pointed out that the variance requests would leave only 7 feet of spacing between houses and cited that as one of the reasons for not permitting the variance.“
