Watertown Board Approves North Lake Drive Garage Variance, Raising Questions Over City Zoning Rules
- Steve Jurrens
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Watertown Board of Adjustment voted 5–1 on Thursday to approve a variance allowing a large combined residential structure and attached garage on North Lake Drive, while simultaneously acknowledging potential gaps in city zoning code.
The request, brought forward by Roethler Construction Inc. on behalf of property owner Greg Pahl, involves combining three platted lots (Lots 3, 4, and 5, Block 2 of North Lake Drive Addition) into a single parcel spanning roughly one acre. The plans feature a 6,000-square-foot building consisting of 1,800 square feet of primary living quarters and a 4,200-square-foot attached garage.
Community Development Manager Brandi Hanten explained to the board that city ordinance caps attached garages at 2,352 square feet regardless of lot size, though a small portion of allowable detached garage square footage can push the limit to 2,792 square feet. Because the applicant is combining three lots—which individually could feature separate structures and considerably more total garage space—the project required a 1,408-square-foot variance.
“If each lot were developed separately each attached garage could be up to 2,352 square feet for a total of 7,056 square feet,” Hanten noted in the staff report. “Unlike detached garages, attached garages are not allowed a larger size allowance for larger lots.”
Michael Roethler of Roethler Construction told the board that the expansive garage footprint is necessary to accommodate large vehicles, including a motor home and a pull-type camper, with drive-through capabilities.
“The reason that it’s so large is because he’s got a roller home or motor home and a very large pull type camper,” Roethler said.
He assured the board that the structure will feature high-end residential aesthetics, including composite board and batten siding, brick accents matching the owner’s primary residence across the street, a standing seam roof, and an outdoor porch.
The project sparked an extensive debate among board members regarding the current structure of city ordinances. Several members pointed out that the code lacks provisions scaling attached garage sizes proportionally to larger lots or defining a strict ratio between living space and storage space.
“I think the ordinance as it’s written has a hole in it from the perspective that if I have a large lot, I should maybe be able to build a larger building on that,” said Board Member Todd Kays. “It’s very common to see that in many zoning regulations.”
Hanten agreed that staff intends to review the code moving forward to potentially introduce a sliding scale based on lot size, alongside proper percentage ratios for living quarters versus storage.
To ensure the property remains tightly regulated, the approval was tied to a development lot agreement preventing the future subdivision or sale of the individual underlying lots, preserving the total acreage as the basis for the variance.
The motion to approve the variance passed 5–1, with Vice Chairman Bill Speier casting the dissenting vote.
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