An Orchard Drive homeowner is objecting to a neighbor’s plan to re-locate an above-ground oil tank from inside a garage to the side of the house, saying would create an unsightly view of a property already positioned unusually close to her home.
A site plan for the proposed re-location of an above-ground oil tank from inside the garage to the eastern side of the house at 100 Orchard Drive.
The Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday is scheduled to hear a request from Michael Abrahams, an Old Greenwich resident who owns the 1948 Cape Cod-style home at 100 Orchard Drive. Citing space concerns, Abrahams is seeking to move an above-ground oil tank from inside the garage to a tub that would sit five feet from his eastern neighbor’s property line. The New Canaan Zoning Regulations require a 10-foot side yard setback for an accessory structure in the A Residential zone (see section 3.5.E.3 on page 58 here), so a variance is required.
This 85-by-36-by-60-inch “tank tub” would be “hidden from the street and adjacent property by a fence,” according to the owner of 100 Orchard Drive.
According to an application filed by Abrahams, the proposed 85-by-36-by-60-inch “tank tub” (pictured) would be “hidden from the street and adjacent property by a fence.”
Yet the residents at 92 Orchard Drive, Sean and Lisa Sawyer, said in a June 24 letter sent to the ZBA that the home next door already sits unusually close to the property line, “so should an oil tank be placed within those five feet, it would be further encroachment into an already outdated setback.”
… It’s this close to the above-ground oil tank in the garage—a safety concern, according to the property’s owner. He’d like to move it to the eastern side of the house, into a required 10-yard setback, under the New Canaan Zoning Regulations.
“Though there is a fence on the line, this oil tank would be less than 20 feet from my window, and as his property is downhill from mine, I would be afforded a rather unattractive view. If possible, keep the tank in the garage where it has been for many years, as an above ground oil tank in any yard is rather unsightly.”
Abrahams said in his application that he’s also open to moving the “tank tub” to the northern (street) side of the house adjacent to the garage, “in which case it could be screened with plantings.”
When a car with this much clearance is inside the garage at 100 Orchard Drive …
According to Abrahams, the tank must be relocated because, as it is, the garage itself is just 19 feet long and there’s only about 15 feet from the garage door to the posts protecting the oil tank itself.
“This is not enough space for current cars and is a matter of concern as the oil tank is exposed to collision,” Abrahams said in his application.
The ZBA is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the New Canaan Nature Center.