The City of Tampa Variance Review Board on Dec. 9 approved a bundle of mostly residential variance requests, including reductions to setback requirements, accessory‑structure allowances and a parking reduction for a triangular medical site, while continuing a commercial electronic messaging sign request so the applicant can provide additional engineering analyses.

The board granted a pool setback variance at 1021 West Coral Street to allow a reduction in rear-yard setback from 5 feet to 3 feet after applicant Natalie Martella and staff showed the lot and a large 47-inch live oak had compelled an atypical house placement. After the public hearing, the board approved the request based on demonstration of hardship and preservation of the tree, allowing the screened pool/ enclosure to be sited as presented.

Other approvals at the session included setback adjustments for a rebuilt home on an irregular lot at 3801 South Linwood Avenue, a corner‑lot carport replacement at 4310 West Iowa Avenue, a parking reduction for a medical use at 4066 Henderson Boulevard (from 11 to 9 spaces), an accessory‑structure height increase to 27 feet at 3616 West Obispo Street, and approvals allowing two portable accessory structures at 3917 West Euclid Avenue tied to the specific site plan shown to the board. Many approvals were supported by staff memos noting coordination with utilities and recommended conditions tied to permitting.

In one notable residential file, the board bifurcated DRB/VRB-26-01 at 1011 West Mohawk: it approved a preexisting rear covered lanai with the condition that the enclosed space remain unenclosed, while the request to formalize an unpermitted side addition that resulted in a 2.1-foot side-yard setback did not receive the majority needed to carry and therefore remains unresolved under board rules (appeal/next steps explained by staff).

The board continued VRB-26-05, a request for an electronic messaging sign at 4040 Henderson Boulevard, to the Jan. 13, 2026 hearing. Members asked the applicant for sight‑triangle diagrams, drainage/retention analysis and engineering showing whether a 5-foot setback into the property would be feasible, citing pedestrian and motorist visibility and the fact that FDOT and local right‑of‑way changes have altered property lines along Henderson Boulevard.

What happens next: continued items will return at the Jan. 13, 2026 VRB meeting at Old City Hall; several approvals contain standard permit conditions and require full coordination with water, wastewater, stormwater, TECO and other permitting departments prior to building.