License and Variance Board Meeting - Council Chambers — Minutes
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June 24, 2026 10:00 AM City of Smyrna License and Variance Board Meeting 2800 King Street SE Council Chambers Page 2 of 18 same side of the same street as such lot, is less than the minimum setback required. Since the average front setback along the western side of Elizabeth Street is 15.9 feet due to the existing house at 2898 Elizabeth Street (9.6 feet) and variances for 2910 Elizabeth Street (16 feet; V06-020), 2890 Elizabeth Street (20 feet; V13-011), and 2870 Elizabeth Street (18 feet; V14-040), a variance for a front setback reduction is not required. The variance to allow more than 25% of the front yard to be an impervious surface has been withdrawn; the new driveway will be made from permeable pavers to help reduce the maximum impervious surface area on the lot as well as help with water quality. Since permeable pavers are not considered impervious material, a variance for the front yard impervious area is not required. The subject parcel is a 0.17-acre lot located on the west side of Elizabeth Street (see Figure 1). The subject parcel and adjacent parcels to the north, south, and west are zoned R-15 whereas the adjacent parcels to the east are zoned RDA; all are occupied by detached single-family homes. A ditch runs along the southern side with an assumed 20- foot drainage easement. The subject parcel was created by Warranty Deed on August 4, 1945 in Cobb County; no recorded plat of record could be located. The applicant is proposing to demolish the existing 1,077 square foot ranch house and build a new roughly 3,800 square foot two-story single-family home, which will include four bedrooms and 3 ½ bathrooms. The façade will be a mixture of brick and hardiplank. The access to the home will be off Elizabeth Street, which is a narrow one-way road. The new driveway will be installed to accommodate the two-car garage; the current access is off a shared driveway with the neighboring property, which has deteriorated significantly over the years. The subject property is only 7,502 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 created in 1945, the hardship is not self-created. As mentioned, the existing one-story home is 1,077 square feet, which is well below the minimum house size of the R-15 zoning district at 2,000 square feet. With the rebuild, the home will also be brought into compliance with the R-15 zoning district floor area requirement. After the construction of the new home, the impervious surface area will be above the allowable 35% by 1.1% (or 84 square feet).To offset the increase in impervious surface area, the applicant is proposing permeable pavers in lieu of a concrete driveway and walkway. This not only provides water quality for the 84 square feet over the allowable 35%, but it also reduces the impervious surface area by 675 square feet. The Engineering Department has reviewed the application and is supportive of the proposed mitigation method with the stipulation that a Stormwater Inspection & Maintenance Agreement be recorded prior to building permit issuance. Due to the property being well below the required 15,000 square feet lot area, the setback requirements create an unfeasible buildable area for today’s modern home standards. The proposed home is centered in the middle of the lot to minimize the scale of the variances needed, but due to the constraints of the site, the applicant is requesting to reduce the rear setback from 30 feet to 12.3 feet to allow for a screened-in porch. The subject property is unique in that it has 50% of the land area than what the R-15 zoning district requires; the hardship is not self-created as the property is an existing lot of record. The variances requested are the minimum variances needed to build a new single-family home on the subject property in line with the surrounding neighborhood. Furthermore, variances of this nature have been approved in the past for the properties