License and Variance Board Meeting - A. MAX BACON CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS — Minutes
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August 13, 2025 10:00 AM City of Smyrna License and Variance Board Meeting 2800 King Street SE Council Chambers Page 4 of 9 During the renovations, the applicant will be replacing the gravel with a concrete driveway to bring it in compliance with current parking surface code. As part of the overall renovation, the applicant is proposing a 588 square foot addition on the eastern side of the home, which will encroach into the side setback by 2.6 feet. The addition will consist of a new master bedroom suite, mudroom, and covered porch. Although the house sits squarely between the side setbacks, the property has a significant slope on the western side of the property, which would require more land disturbance to level out the addition. Additionally, the basement access is through an exterior door in the rear of the home. If the addition were to be erected in the rear of the property, it would block the basement access or create more construction work to relocate the doorway and nearby retaining wall. Thus, the most logical location for the addition was within the eastern side setback. No other variances are required for the renovations, as all other setbacks are met, and the property will be under the maximum impervious surface area of 35%. Since the existing home was constructed in 1953, prior to the adoption of the current Zoning Ordinance in 1974, Community Development believes the variance requested is the minimum variance needed to construct a modern-size home. Community Development does not foresee any negative impacts to adjacent properties should the variance be approved. Similar variance requests have been approved nearby at 995 Valley Drive (V24-008) and 3212 Ridgecrest Road (V21-039) in 2024 and 2021, respectively. Thus, there is a precedent for variances of this type in the immediate area. At the time of this report, Community Development has not received any calls in opposition to the request. The applicant is requesting to deviate from the development standards established by Section 801, which requires a minimum side setback of 10 feet. According to Section 1403 of the Zoning Ordinance, variances must be reviewed under the following standards: (1) Whether there are unique and special or extraordinary circumstances applying to the property; (2) Whether any alleged hardship is self-created by any person having an interest in the property; (3) Whether strict application of the relevant provisions of the code would deprive the applicant of reasonable use of the property; and (4) Whether the variance proposed is the minimum variance needed. After a review of the standards above, Community Development believes that the encroachment will not adversely affect surrounding residents; therefore, staff recommends approval of the requested variance with the following condition: 1. Approval of the requested variance shall be conditioned upon substantial compliance with the site plan and elevations submitted with the variance application. Daniel Gray, applicant, stated he understands and agrees to standard stipulation read into record. A public hearing was called, and no one came forward in favor of or in opposition to this item. Board Member Andrea Worthy made a motion to approve item V25-072; seconded by Board Member Bo Jones. The motion to approve carried with the following vote: