License and Variance Board Meeting - A. MAX BACON CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS — Minutes
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February 26, 2025 10:00 AM City of Smyrna License and Variance Board Meeting 2800 King Street SE Council Chambers Page 6 of 11 The applicant previously proposed a 1,480-square-foot home, which will be enlarged by 739 square feet due to the addition of the carport. The carport will add an additional balcony space on the second floor, will add to the home’s gross square footage. Once complete, the home will be 2,219 square feet, which will include three bedrooms and 2 ½ bathrooms. The home’s architecture will remain modern with the driveway access off Bates Street. As was required in the original variance application, the home will still have a standard 22-foot driveway to alleviate any encroachments to the sidewalk but will now offer a covered parking area as is commonplace in new homes. The City Engineer has reviewed the carport location and does not foresee any sight-distance issues. In adding the carport, the applicant eliminated the need for the minimum house size variance as previously approved (Variance Case V23-090), as the R-15 zoning district requires a minimum house size of 2,000 square feet, which will now be met. As before, the subject property is unique in that it has less than 30% land area than what the R15 zoning district requires; the hardship is not self-created as the property is an existing lot of record. The further streetside setback encroachment allows the applicant to provide covered parking on the property to build a new single-family home on the subject property in line with the surrounding neighborhood, which has seen increased growth and development over the past few years. At the time of this report, Community Development has not received any calls in opposition to the request. The applicant is requesting to further deviate from the City’s streetside setback requirements established for the R-15 Zoning District. 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. Community Development has reviewed the request and believes that the variance will not adversely affect surrounding residents. Therefore, staff recommends approval of the requested variance with the following conditions, which are carried over from the previous variance approval: 1. Approval of the requested variance shall be conditioned upon substantial compliance with the updated site plan and elevations submitted with the variance application. 2. The existing driveway entrance along Argo Drive shall be removed and replaced with curb and gutter and permanently stabilized prior to issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy. The existing sidewalk shall be reestablished once the driveway has been removed. 3. A Stormwater Inspection and Maintenance Agreement shall be completed and recorded with the Cobb County Superior Court and an as-built certification statement submitted to Community Development prior to issuance of the building permit. Darrell Smith, applicant, stated that he wants to add value to the neighborhood and create something that fits their vision. He stated he understands and agrees to the stipulations read into record. A public hearing was called, and no one came forward in favor of or in opposition to this item.