License and Variance Board Meeting - Council Chambers — Minutes
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May 13, 2026 10:00 AM City of Smyrna License and Variance Board Meeting 2800 King Street SE Council Chambers Page 4 of 7 Board Member Andrea Worthy made a motion to approve item V26-043; seconded by Board Member Richard Garland. The motion to approve carried with the following vote: Aye: 3 – Chairperson Jones, Vice Chair Garland, Board Member Worthy Nay: 0 – None Recuse: 0 – None G. V26-044 Public Hearing - Variance Request - V26-044 - Allow encroachment into the City's 75- foot impervious surface setback - Land Lot 626 - 1669 Cedar Cliff Drive - Graham Morrison Ward 6 Mayor Pro Tem / Councilmember - Tim Gould Caitlin Crowe, Land Development Services Coordinator, provided the following background: The subject parcel is a 0.74-acre lot located on the northern side of the Cedar Cliff Drive cul-de-sac within the Cedar Cliffs subdivision. The subject parcel and all adjacent parcels are zoned R-20 and are all occupied by single-family detached residences. A creek runs through the northern side of the property. A 20-foot sanitary sewer easement runs along the western side property line and then across the rear, at the back of the property. A stormwater pipe runs halfway up the property on the western side. The subject property is currently occupied by a 2,722 square foot two-story home. The applicant is proposing a prefabricated 400 square foot detached carport on the western side of the house, to be installed over a portion of the existing driveway. Due to the creek in the rear, the subject property is greatly impacted by the State’s 25-foot undisturbed stream buffer, the City’s 50-foot undisturbed buffer, and the City’s 75-foot impervious surface setback. The subject parcel was originally platted in 1979, and the house was subsequently built in 1981, both prior to the Smyrna Stream Buffer Ordinance, which was implemented in 2005. Since the property was constructed prior to the Stream Buffer Ordinance, a portion of the driveway and house itself is within the City’s stream buffers. Since the addition will be on the western side of the home, the carport will continue to encroach into the City’s 75-foot impervious surface setback. Since there will be no impervious surface area increase and the encroachment will be no more than what exists on-site today, the Engineering Department has determined that no remediation is required in order to support the variance. Community Development believes the hardship is not self-created, as the house footprint and driveway have existed before the stream buffer ordinance was adopted. Due to the existing driveway’s location, the most logical area to construct the carport is within the 75- foot impervious surface setback to decrease disturbance to the subject property. Community Development believes this is the minimum variance needed to allow for any expansion due to the stream buffers, and that there should be no negative impacts to adjacent properties if approved. At the time of this report, Community Development has not received any calls in opposition to the request. The applicant is requesting relief from the City’s 75-foot impervious surface setback for a carport. According to Section 46-160 of the Stream Buffer Protection Ordinance, stream buffer variances must be reviewed under the following standards: (1) The shape, size, topography, slope, soils, vegetation and other physical characteristics of the property; (2) The locations of all streams on the property, including along property boundaries; (3) The