Citing the village of Marcellus’ comprehensive plan, the village Zoning Board of Approval Tuesday March 24 voted unanimously to deny a request by St. John’s Episcopal Church for a zoning variance. ZBA chair Sara Tallman said the application was to change the zoning of the church rectory from residential to commercial. If the variance had been approved, the rectory would have been the only commercially zoned property on Orange Street. “The village is trying to discourage spot zoning,” Tallman said. “If they changed current zoning it could change the character of the neighborhood and set the stage for other variances on the street.” Thomas Schneider came before the board Tuesday as the warden for St. John’s. Tallman said she was not certain what that title meant. Schneider was not available for comment.
Tallman said though the church’s numbers have not dropped, she assumed the reason for the variance was to convert the current rectory apartment into a commercial property.