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 5 of 9 Aye: 3 – Chairperson Garland, Board Member Jones, Board Member Worthy Nay: 0 – None Recuse: 0 – None D. V25-073 Public Hearing - Variance Request - V25-073 - Allow second accessory structure - Land Lot 558 - 3107 Wills Street - Benjamin Bell Ward 6 Mayor Pro Tem / Councilmember - Tim Gould Caitlin Crowe, Land Services Development Coordinator, provided the following background for item V25-073, V25-074, V25-075, V25-076, and V25-077: The applicant is seeking five variances to construct a two-story accessory structure in the rear of 3107 Wills Street: to allow a second accessory structure, increase the maximum accessory building size from 25% to 49% of the primary dwelling, increase the maximum accessory structure height from 15 feet to 23.1 feet, reduce the driveway setback from 5 feet to 2.5 feet, and increase the maximum impervious surface area from 35% to 40.5%. The maximum accessory structure number, size, and height are required per Section 501 of the Zoning Code whereas the 5-foot driveway setback and maximum impervious surface area are associated with Section 801 of the Zoning Code. The subject parcel is a 0.36-acre lot located on the east side of Wills Street. The subject parcel and all adjacent parcels are zoned R-15 and are all occupied by single-family detached residences, with the exception of the parcel to the east, which is currently vacant. The property is currently occupied by a two-story 3,338 square foot single-family home and 308 square foot in-ground swimming pool (recently completed in July 2025). A variable drainage easement ranging from 12-feet to 20-feet runs up the length of the northern side property line and bisects the rear of the property at an angle. The applicant is proposing a two-story 1,635 square foot accessory structure in the northeastern rear of the property. The proposed structure will have two levels: a two-car garage on the first floor and a living area with a bathroom and kitchenette on the second floor, which will be accessed by an interior staircase. The first-floor two-car garage will be accessed via the existing driveway on the southern side of the home, which will be expanded as part of the project. The existing property does not have any covered parking areas, as the substantial remodel on the property in 2019 focused on enlarging the living space. Since the existing house footprint sits with each side roughly 12 feet from the side setbacks, the applicant does not have enough room to erect a standard two-car garage on either side of the existing home without encroaching into the side setback. In fact, to try and minimize the variances, the new detached structure will be towards the middle of the rear yard to remove any side setback encroachments. The accessory structure ordinance allows one accessory structure or use per lot and since the in-ground swimming pool is already on the property, a variance is required for the second accessory structure. Since the swimming pool and accessory structure offer different uses for the property, the hardship is not self-created. In conjunction with the two-car garage, the applicant is proposing additional living space to maximize the buildable space on the property and to account for future needs. However, the existing two-story home is 3,338 square feet, which means that the 1,635 square foot proposed accessory structure exceeds the allowable accessory structure size by 24%