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License and Variance Board Meeting - A. MAX BACON CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS — Minutes

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June 25, 2025 
10:00 AM 
 
City of Smyrna 
License and Variance Board Meeting 
2800 King Street SE 
Council Chambers 
 
Page 3 of 4 
 
1. Approval of the requested variance shall be conditioned upon substantial 
compliance with the site plan and elevations submitted with the variance 
application. 
John Herrod, applicant, stated that he understands and agrees to the standard condition 
read into record. 
  
A public hearing was called, and no one came forward in favor of or in opposition to this 
item.  
 
Board Member Bo Jones made a motion to approve item V25-057; seconded by Board 
Member Andrea Worthy. 
 
The motion to approve carried with the following vote: 
 
Aye: 3 –  Chairperson Garland, Board Member Jones, Board Member Worthy 
Nay: 0 –  None 
Recuse: 0 –  None 
 
 C. V25-059 Public Hearing - Variance Request - V25-059 - Allow new construction on lot 
of record below minimum requirements - Land Lot 778 - 2545 Carolyn Drive - Sara 
McMullen 
Ward 1 Councilmember - Glenn Pickens 
 
Joey Staubes, Planner II, provided the following background: 
  
The subject parcel is a 0.25-acre lot located on the eastern side of Carolyn Drive. The 
subject parcel and all adjacent parcels are zoned R-15 and are occupied by detached 
single-family homes. The subject parcel is part of the Springhill subdivision, which was 
platted in 1961, prior to the current Smyrna Zoning Ordinance, which was implemented in 
1974. 
  
The applicant is proposing to build a new two-story single-family home on the subject 
property, which has historically been a vacant lot. The façade will feature a modern 
architectural design with a combination of gray, white, and wood siding, all accessed from 
a new two-car driveway off Carolyn Drive. 
  
The subject property is 10,925 square feet, while the R-15 zoning district requires a 
minimum lot size of 15,000 square feet. Since the subject property is an existing lot of 
record, originally platted in 1961, the hardship is not self-created. If it were not for the 
substandard lot size, no other variances would be required to build the new home. 
  
The subject property is unique in that it has less square footage than what the R-15 
zoning district requires. The variance requested is the minimum variance needed to build 
a new single-family home on the subject property. 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 City’s minimum lot area requirement 
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