Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals heard six cases at its meeting Thursday, July 19. From left are Joe Leatherman, Randy Cox, Larry Coplen, Matt Sandy and Matt Prichard. (Photo by Phoebe Muthart)

SYRACUSE — A petition to build a new structure for boat sales was shot down at the regular meeting of the Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals Thursday, July 19.

Citing parking issues, building size and other concerns, the board unanimously denied the petitioner’s request.

The property is located at 615 S. Huntington St.

Attorney Steve Snyder, the petitioner’s attorney, presented his case in an effort to sway the board. He said there would be adequate parking and there would be boat sales only, no service work. The ceiling would be 16 feet tall.

“It will look nice,” he said, adding plans haven’t been finalized yet.

However, several remonstrators spoke out against the petition.

Elmer Stutzman, a neighboring business owner, said he was concerned with traffic. He also said a building of that size was too large and “a discredit to the village.”

Sandy Wappes of Picket Fences Hair Salon said, “Our concern is parking.”

William Cripe also spoke out against the petition because, he said, the proposed building would be “too big for that lot.”

Kathy Cole said, “If we lose parking, we lose clients, and we lose our jobs.”

Another remonstrator, Jay Urban, asked, “Why not build it somewhere else?

Tammy Kratzer said there’s not enough room for the building. “I think it’s dangerous,” she said.

“It’s a tight lot,” added assistant planner Matt Sandy.

The lot size is 80 feet by 150 feet. The proposed building would have been 4,730 square feet.

Boatworks USA requested an exception to allow marina sales and service in a commercial district.

Boatworks’ petition for a variance was to allow the construction of a commercial building 5 feet from the north line, 20 feet from the east right of way, 15 feet from the west right of way and 20 feet from the south right of way. It also wanted to allow 12 parking spaces; the ordinance requires 63 spaces. Boatworks wanted to allow a 1,275-square-foot display area, where the ordinance only allows 1,200 square feet.

After nearly an hour, the board unanimously denied both requests.

Quality Dining’s petition for an exception was approved. It wants to allow a change and alteration to a previously approved drive-thru.

The property, the site of Burger King, is located at 100 W. Bowser Road. The company wants to update the fast food restaurant, which was built in 1998.

Jerry Fitzpatrick of Quality Dining said 68 to 72 percent of its business is drive-thru traffic. He said his company is building a second drive-thru.

“We are going to remodel it and give it more of a contemporary look,” he noted.

Quality Dining’s petition for a variance to allow parking to be reduced from 65 spaces to 42 was also granted.

Kim and Debra Cook’s petition for a variance was denied. The Cooks wanted to allow the construction of a residence 10 feet from the rear and 4 feet from both the east and west side property lines.

The property is located at 100 W. Bowser Road.

Wawasee Property Owners Association said in a letter that it opposed the project. Therefore, the board felt the petition was not in the best interest of the neighborhood due to the setbacks.

Andy Cripe’s petition for a variance was granted. He wants to allow multiple I-2 uses on one parcel, including, but not limited to, fabricating and manufacturing of boat and RV parts, other miscellaneous items and boat and RV storage.

The property is located 300 E. Chicago St.

The next meeting is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, in Syracuse Town Hall.