The owner of a ranch house in the southwestern corner of New Canaan is seeking permission from the town to build a pool house about 10 feet closer to his northern property line—and the Merritt Parkway beyond it—than the town’s zoning regulations permit as-of-right.
Site plan for a new pool house proposed for the rear yard setback at 58 Hawks Hill Road.
To be located on the far side of the in-ground pool already installed at 58 Hawks Hill Road, the proposed pool house and patio would reduce the rear yard setback from 25 feet, as allowed in the 1-acre zone (see page 58 of the New Canaan Zoning Regulations here) to about 14.4 feet, according to an application filed with Planning & Zoning.
The Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to take up the application at its Feb. 6 meeting, to be held at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. It isn’t clear what is the hardship claimed by the applicant.
58 Hawks Hill Road. Google Streetview photo
“The north side location will ease the traffic noise from the Merritt Parkway while the pool house is in use,” property owner David Johnson said in a narrative attached to his application for a variance. “Placing the pool house on the south or west sides of the swimming pool would subject the active side of the pool house to substantial noise from the Parkway. I cannot place it to the east side of the pool because the pool pump and filter are located there.”
According to the applicant, the pool house still would keep the 1.17-acre property under total allowable coverage. It has a 1951-built ranch-style house with 1,699 square feet of living space as well as a 441-square-foot garage, tax records show.
If the ZBA grants the variance, “it will not injure or adversely affect the character or enjoyment of any nearby properties,” the applicant said.
“The pool house in this location cannot be seen from any of the properties on the notification list.”
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