Scarlette and Chester can come home.
Scarlette, an 11-year-old chestnut Shetland pony, and her dark gray son Chester, 6, will be moving a few miles from their boarding stable in Corner Ketch to their own two-stall barn in Guthriesville, thanks to the East Brandywine Zoning Hearing Board.
On Wednesday, the board granted Jeff and Jacqueline D. Shaw permission to build a new home for Scarlette and Chester 4 feet closer to the side lot lines than normally allowed under township zoning.
The Shaws own a narrow, deep 3-acre property at 302 Jefferis Rd., in an area where livestock is permitted on large lots.
The Shaws plan to build a 16-by-35-foot combination barn and workshop within 94 feet of their side lot lines. Township zoning calls for side-yard setbacks of 100 feet. The barn will be 108 feet behind the Shaws' house.
The proposed barn will bring Scarlette and Chester closer to their owners and riders, the Shaws' children Heidi, 7, and Matthew, 10. Heidi has ridden Chester for a year, while her brother has ridden Scarlette. The children have competed in local horse shows.
The three-member board voted unanimously to grant the variance to the Shaws with the condition that no other animals be housed in the barn. No one spoke against the Shaws' plan.
