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Minutes_Zoning Board of Adjustment_06.25.26City of Dubuque City Council ITEM TITLE: SUMMARY: SUGGUESTED DISPOSITION: ATTACHMENTS: Copyrighted August 3, 2026 CONSENT ITEMS # 1. Minutes and Reports Submitted City Council Proceedings of July 20, 2026; Historic Preservation Commission of June 18, 2026; Zoning Board of Adjustment of June 25, 2026. Receive and File 1. 7 20 26 City Council Minutes 2. Minutes ZBA 06-25-26 Approved 3. Minutes 06-18-26 - Approved Page 81 of 1281 Dubuque THE CITY OF DUB TE II 2007.2012.2013 Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2017.2019 MINUTES CITY OF DUBUQUE ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT REGULAR SESSION 5.30 p.m. Thursday, June 25, 2026 City Council Chambers, Historic Federal Building Board Members Present: Chairperson Keith Ahlvin, Board Members Ben Loeffelholz, Gwen Kosel, Rena Stierman, and Matt Mauss. Board Members Excused: None. Board Members Unexcused: None. Staff Members Present: Shena Moon, Travis Schrobilgen, and Matt O'Brien CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Ahlvin at 5:30 p.m. MINUTES: Motion by Kosel, seconded by Stierman, to approve the minutes of the May 28, 2026 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting as submitted. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Kosel, Loeffelholz, Mauss, Stierman, and Ahlvin; Nay — None. DOCKET—11-26: Application of Daniel J. Kane, 65 Oak Grove Drive, to construct a detached garage 20' in height with a total of 1,596 sq. ft. of detached accessory structures where 15' in height and 1,000 sq. ft. maximum is permitted in an R-2 Two -Family Residential zoning district. The applicant, Daniel J. Kane, 65 Oak Grove Drive, spoke in favor of the request. He explained that he plans to build a larger garage on his property. There was no public input. Staff Member O'Brien detailed the staff report noting the request is to allow a 1,500 sq. ft. detached garage, in addition to an existing 96 sq. ft. detached shed, for a total of 1,596 sq. ft. of detached accessory structures. He stated that this exceeds the permitted maximum of 1,000 sq. ft. of detached accessory structures. Staff Member O'Brien also stated the proposed garage will be 20' in height maximum, which exceeds 15' in height maximum permitted. He added that the proposed garage would comply with all other Unified Development code regulations. The Board did not have any questions but discussed conditions of approval pertaining to stormwater management and installing a hard -surfaced driveway to the proposed garage. Chairperson Ahlvin asked the applicant whether the suggested conditions would be acceptable, and Mr. Kane. responded that he intends to hard surface the driveway and can adequately manage stormwater runoff because his property slopes downhill from the Page 91 of 1281 Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes June 25, 2026 neighboring properties on Oak Grove Drive. Page 2 Board Member Kosel questioned whether the proposed garage siding would match the primary residence, and Mr. Kane confirmed that it would. Board Member Kosel also asked staff whether there would be a timeline for completing the hard -surfaced driveway. Staff responded that the driveway would be completed concurrently with construction of the garage. Motion by Stierman, seconded by Loefflholz, to approve the request with the following conditions: 1. Stormwater shall be managed on the subject site. 2. A hard surface driveway shall be installed to the garage. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Kosel, Loeffelholz, Mauss, Stierman, and Ahlvin; Nay — None. DOCKET-16-26: Application of John Anderson, 1860 Heeb Street to construct a primary residence 5' from the front property line and 0' from side property line where 10' and 3' minimum setbacks are required, respectively, in an R-2 Two -Family Residential zoning district. John Anderson, 1000 Kensington Way, Buffalo, MN, spoke in favor of the request and explained that he is seeking approval for reduced setbacks to accommodate a primary residence on the property. A letter of opposition was submitted from Anthony Schubert and Christopher Schubert, Contract Exchange Corporation, on behalf of the neighboring property owner, Terrill M. Banner. The letter expressed concerns regarding view preservation, neighborhood development patterns, and the potential impacts of largely reduced setbacks. The applicant, John Anderson, provided a brief response to the letter stating that he believed the property at 35 Clarke Drive is currently for sale. Staff Member Schrobilgen detailed the staff report, noting that the applicant is requesting a reduced front yard setback of 5' where 10' is currently permitted and a side yard setback of 0' where 3' is currently permitted. He noted that the applicants stated they were issued a building permit for a larger structure which included a garage, but they began digging on the bluff and ran into issues regarding bedrock. Staff noted that two previous Special Exceptions where approved and noted that the prior exception discussed the 60-foot bluff and that a 2-story house, which had reduced setbacks, was demolished on the property circa 2020. Staff noted that this portion of Heeb Street was platted but unimproved due to the bluff. He concluded that the City's code does not include view preservation, and staff displayed a google image showing the view with (2019) and without (2023) the demolished house. Mr. Anderson stated that Mr. Leonard Kutsch, owner of Vanderloo and White Animal Hospital, located at 1865 Central Avenue located to the east of the subject property, Page 92 of 1281 Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes June 25, 2026 Page 3 signed a waiver document in support of the reduced setbacks for the subject property. Board Member Mauss asked for clarification on the reduced setback to 0' being applied to the west or north property line and staff stated that it is 0' from the north property line. Chairperson Ahlvin asked if the unimproved right-of-way is platted and would provide a default setback from the property to the west. Staff Member Schrobilgen confirmed it is platted and connects to Kaufmann Avenue to the north. The Board discussed conditioning approval on the applicant providing stormwater management on the property. The applicant was amenable to the condition. Motion by Kosel, seconded by Stierman, to approve the request with the following condition: 1. Stormwater shall be managed on the subject site. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Kosel, Loeffelholz, Mauss, Stierman, and Ahlvin; Nay — None. DOCKET-17-26: Application of Shannon Ninneman, 295 Dorgan Place to construct a front deck 4' from the front property line and 0' from the side property line where 20' and 4' minimum setbacks are required, respectively, in an R-4 Multi -Family Residential zoning district. The applicant, Shannon Ninneman, 295 Dorgan Place, spoke in favor of the request. She explained that a neighbor's tree had fallen onto the front deck, resulting in damage that requires the deck to be reconstructed. There was no public input. Staff Member Schrobilgen detailed the staff report noting that the front deck will be rebuilt 4' from the front property line and 0' from the side property line where 20' and 4' minimum setbacks are required. Board Member Mauss asked whether the front deck would be rebuilt within the same footprint. Staff Member Schrobilgen confirmed that would be expanded slightly expanded beyond the existing footprint along the east side. The applicant stated that her uncle, the previous owner of the property, constructed the existing front deck without obtaining a building permit and the current request is intended to bring the reconstruction into proper compliance. The Board Members discussed the request and agreed that the front deck should remain of an open design. Ms. Ninneman confirmed she was amenable to a condition regarding open design. Motion by Stierman, seconded by Kosel, to approve the request with following condition: Page 93 of 1281 Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes June 25, 2026 1. The front deck shall remain of open design. Page 4 Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Kosel, Loeffelholz, Mauss, Stierman, and Ahlvin; Nay — None. DOCKET 18-26: Application of Austin Oberbroeckling, 3140 Ideal Lane, to construct a detached garage 0' from the side property line where 6' minimum setback is required in an R-1 Single -Family Residential zoning district. The applicant, Austin Oberbroeckling, 3140 Ideal Lane, spoke in favor of the request. He explained he'd like to build a garage located about 2' from the eastern side property line but is requesting approval for 0' setback to provide flexibility during construction. He stated the proposed location was preferred due to sloping topography in other portions of his rear yard area. Staff Member Moon detailed the staff report noting the applicant requests to construct a detached garage 0' from the side property where 6' minimum is required. She stated the garage would be one story in height and would be total approximately 832 square feet in area. She stated that no public input, either for or against the request, has been submitted to staff. There was no public input. Board Member Mauss asked about the type of finishes for the proposed garage and Mr. Oberbroeckling stated that the garage would be finished with siding that would match the material and color of the house gables. Board Member Stierman expressed support for including a condition requiring the garage to have siding compatible with the primary residence. Chairperson Ahlvin stated the driveway from the street to the proposed garage should be hard surfaced. Mr. Oberbroeckling stated he intends to install hard surface driveway to the garage and has already begun the work. The Board noted the desire to include a condition of approval regarding the management of stormwater. Mr. Oberbroeckling stated that the neighboring property to the east slopes toward his property and his property slows to the southwest. He noted he intends to install drain tile to help manage the stormwater and is amenable to the condition. Board Member Kosel asked if the setback approval should be limited to 2' rather than the requested 0' since the applicant stated they will likely be 2' from the property line. Staff stated that any condition could be imposed but noted that the added flexibility is beneficial to accommodate roof overhangs, gutters, and angled foundations. Staff noted that any item extending from the building wall is not permitted to extend across the property line. Chairperson Ahlvin stated that he was in support of the conditions and questioned whether Mr. Oberbroeckling had any concerns with the proposed conditions. Mr. Oberbroeckling stated he did not have any concerns. Page 94 of 1281 Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes June 25, 2026 Page 5 Motion by Kosel, seconded by Stierman, to approve the request with the following conditions: 1. Stormwater shall be managed on the subject site. 2. A hard surface driveway shall be installed to garage. 3. The detached garage shall be finished with residential style materials. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Kosel, Loeffelholz, Mauss, Stierman, and Ahlvin; Nay — None. ITEMS FROM PUBLIC: None ITEMS FROM BOARD: None ITEMS FROM STAFF: Election of Officers: Staff stated that it was time to elect officers. Board Member Stierman made motion to nominate Board Member Ahlvin to be Chair. Motion by Stierman, seconded by Kosel, to appoint Board Member Ahlvin as Chairperson of the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Kosel, Loeffelholz, Mauss, and Stierman; Nay — None; Abstain — Ahlvin Chairperson Ahlvin made a motion to nominate Board Member Stierman to be Vice - Chairperson. Motion by Ahlvin, seconded by Maus, to appoint Board Member Stierman as Vice - Chairperson of the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Kosel, Loeffelholz, Mauss, Stierman, and Ahlvin; Nay — None; Abstain — None. Appointment to the Airport Zoning Board of Adjustment: Staff stated that the Board needed to appoint to members to the Airport Zoning Board of Adjustment. Board Member Stierman nominated Board Members Loeffelholz and Kosel to serve on the Airport Zoning Board of Adjustment. Motion by Stierman, seconded by Ahlvin, to appoint Board Members Loeffelholz and Kosel to the Airport Zoning Board of Adjustment. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Kosel, Loeffelholz, Mauss, Stierman, and Ahlvin; Nay — None ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Loeffelholz, seconded by Ahlvin, to adjourn the June 25, 2026, Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Kosel, Loeffelholz, Mauss, Stierman, and Ahlvin; Nay — None Page 95 of 1281 Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes June 25, 2026 The meeting adjourned at 6:01 p.m. Respectfully submitted, , A, Sh na oon, Associate Planner July 23, 2026 Adopted Page 96 of 1281