Plymouth Plan Commission approved to variances of development standards, Art Jacobs & Norfalk Properties

Sunday, July 7, 2024 at 10:05 PM

Tuesday evening, the president of the Plymouth Plan Commission, Art Jacobs had to excuse himself from one of the agenda items because the request for a variance in development standards was made by him.

Three members of the City Plan Commission heard his request to build an accessory building before a primary building on a parcel of land at 1221 Elm Street.

In January 2022 Art and Lisa Jacobs purchased a nearly 30-acre parcel of land behind their current home on Nutmeg Trail with plans to build a new home on the additional parcel.

During the Tuesday evening meeting, Jacobs told Plan Commission members they were ready to build their home and accessory building. He said the pole barn will be completed before the home is finished, thus the need for the variance. Jacobs said he plans to store the building materials for the home in the barn to keep them dry and safe during the construction.

Jacobs also said they plan to annex their new home and property into the Plymouth city limits.

There were no comments during the public hearing and the Plymouth Plan Commission approved the request with a 3-0 vote.

The Plan Commission also approved a variance of development standards for Norfalk Properties, part of the Auto Park family at 2923 Van Vactor Drive.

The variance was for a lighted monument sign that is larger and taller than the city regulations. The city’s size standard is 32 square feet, basically, the size of a sheet of plywood, and the height restriction is 5 feet. Norfalk Properties wants to erect a sign that is 6 feet tall and 10 feet wide.

There was no comment during the public hearing and the Plymouth Plan Commission unanimously approved the request with a 4-0 vote.