Residential driveway-widening variances and off-street parking
Bowling Green
Summary
The city caps driveway width at the width of the garage (here 20 feet). Fretz asked for a 4-foot overage to keep his growing family's cars off the street. The board found the modest request didn't harm the neighborhood's character.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 8
- Last 30 days
- 1
Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Oct 14, 2026.
Impact analysis
Ferguson is paying a contractor for the concrete widening herself.
The Fretz family gets more off-street parking and a safer play area, and neighbors get less street parking.
None identified — the three nearest neighbors signed in support.
Mentions & discussions (8)
Board of Zoning Appeals - Oct 14, 2026
Three homeowners asked to widen driveways beyond what the zoning code allows, all citing parking shortages in crowded neighborhoods. The board granted all three, signaling it treats lack of street parking and practical family needs as legitimate practical difficulties.
Board of Zoning Appeals - Aug 12, 2026
Tight cul-de-sac radii and closely packed villa homes create awkward driveways that are genuinely hard to use. Ferguson's 5-foot widening shows the board will grant modest variances when site geometry, not convenience, drives the request.
Board of Zoning Appeals - Jul 8, 2026
Wexford Drive keeps generating driveway-widening requests as growing families park more cars on narrow streets. The board unanimously supported another widening, viewing less street parking as a safety win.
Board of Zoning Appeals - Jun 10, 2026
Homeowners in the Cogan's Crossing area keep asking for the same driveway-widening variances, and this meeting was no exception. A resident asked whether new developments should just be built with wider driveways — but the board says that's a decision for city council and the planning commission.
Planning Commission - Jun 3, 2026
The ZBA has seen a second — and soon a third — request to widen driveways beyond the standard, driven by limited street parking. The commission's ZBA rep notes these are being viewed favorably.
Board of Zoning Appeals - May 13, 2026
The city's 2023 zoning rewrite tightened rules against parking in front yards and limited driveways to one curb cut per parcel. This case tested whether a circular drive matching the neighborhood's existing character counts as the problem those rules target — the board decided it doesn't.
Planning Commission - Apr 1, 2026
A homeowner wanted to widen his driveway from about 16 feet to 24 feet — 4 feet wider than the code allows for a 20-foot garage — essentially creating a side parking spot. The Zoning Board of Appeals granted it unanimously.
Board of Zoning Appeals - Mar 11, 2026
The city caps driveway width at the width of the garage (here 20 feet). Fretz asked for a 4-foot overage to keep his growing family's cars off the street. The board found the modest request didn't harm the neighborhood's character.
Related development
Driveway widening variance — 757 Longford Drive
Slightly more concrete in front of the house but one more off-street parking spot and concealed trash cans on a street the board called parking-starved.
Driveway widening variance — 1117 Sandpiper Lane
More paved side yard in a single-family neighborhood, but five cars parked off the street on a block where one side of the street is off-limits to parking.
Driveway extension, 1723 Wexford Drive
The homeowner can proceed with a wider driveway.
Driveway widening variance — 336 Conneaut Avenue
Turns a gravel strip into usable parking for a three-vehicle household, easing crowding on a street where residents already resort to cones to save spots.
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