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Bluebag Media
Resident must
move clubhouse due to zoning violations
GREENVILLE – “It’s a clubhouse!!” said a frustrated Ralph Helmer. He
wanted a safe place for his 21-month-old, Liam, to play, so he decided
to build one. He asked his wife Casey to look up the requirements on
the Internet.
“I typed in Darke County,” she added, acknowledging she thought this
was the correct starting place. Ralph said she found that no permit was
required as long as the structure was under 15 feet tall and 200 sq.
ft. in area. It turns out in Greenville the requirement is under 12
feet and 150 sq. ft. “Their regulations also require the structure be
10 feet away from the house.” The clubhouse is separated, but only by a
foot or so. The Helmers also didn’t know they needed a zoning permit.
Ralph said the first he heard there was an issue was when he was
building the trusses for the roof of the clubhouse. Someone in a city
vehicle stopped and said, according to Helmer, he could make him tear
the structure down. Helmer added he didn’t identify himself. “So I got
kind of mouthy. I told him this was my property; I don’t know you and
you can get on down the road.” The employee left.
That was during the week. Ralph said he had two friends helping him and
they had it nearly finished over the weekend. The “Stop Work Order”
notice was posted on Monday. Ralph, who works full time, asked Casey to
go to the Zoning secretary, find out what they needed to do and pay
whatever is necessary. “Make it happen.”
It didn’t happen at that point. Casey said she got a packet of papers
for a variance. It required the names and addresses of 20 persons. She
got them; filled out the papers and turned everything in. She had
missed the July deadline, so the next hearing was Aug. 19.
In the meantime confusion continued to plague the situation. Ralph said
he moved the sign to mow the yard and neglected to put it back. The
Helmers were gone for the weekend and his workers, who didn’t know
about the stop order, did some more work while they were gone...
Read the rest of the article at Bluebag Media
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