Bureaucratic Snag With La Grange Man's Request

ELMHURST, IL – La Grange resident Brian Murray wants to adjust his driveway to put "some nice grass in."

But Murray told the Village Board on Monday that he has encountered procedural problems.

Seven years ago, Murray purchased the house at 124 S. Waiola Ave.

"When we bought it, we knew it had a very awkward garage that's placed with a 90-degree bend in the driveway, which resulted in our backyard being entirely paved over," he said. "We're finally in a position to fix this and move it, so we can drive straight into it and put some nice grass in."

However, Murray said, the previous owner got a permit to build the backyard garage, but did not seek an exception to the zoning code.

"Now we're being told that we can't even apply for a variance that would result in building coverage in excess of what could even possibly be approved because this condition already existed," Murray said.

He asked the board to change the code to allow the village to recommend exceptions if "things will get better or stay the same."

In response, Village President Mark Kuchler said the village staff wrote a memo on possible options to solve the problem.

"It's my understanding that this reconfiguration will actually have less concrete involved, make it safer to enter and exit the garage, be better for flood control," Kuchler said.

The code is written generally and can't adapt to every situation, he said.