A Henry County homeowner with a 20-year-old greenhouse in his front yard finally got a variance for it September 9 from the Henry County Zoning Advisory Board. The homeowner said his recent application was motivated by a code enforcement complaint, and that he was told in 2001 that he did not need any kind of permit for the structure on his Kelleytown Road property, which is not in a subdivision.
Typically such buildings must be in a side or back yard unless the property is more than three acres and zoned RA (residential agricultural).The board went against staff’s recommendation of denial and approved the request with a condition to include screening shrubs.
In other business, a new wireless communications facility has gotten the go-ahead from the ZAB. A conditional use is required for the RA-zoned (residential agricultural) property at 548 Seabolt Road on the northeast side of Locust Grove, where a 150-foot-high tower is to be erected on a 100-by-100-foot portion of the 97-acre total tract, about 300 feet off Seabolt Road and surrounded by wooded and pasture land.
Two neighboring residents spoke in opposition, citing potential health risks from living close to such a facility, but the applicant pointed out that it would be developed within FCC standards. The request was approved with staff conditions.
A variance request for a large accessory structure on a two-acre residential site within a subdivision was granted. The applicant asked for relief from development standards for accessory structures in order to construct a 1,264-square-foot building with a lesser-than-usual side setback. The two lots in question are on Sea Shore Circle, off Snapping Shoals Road and just west of Hwy. 81. The motion to approve the variance included a recommendation from county staff that an existing fence remain in place on the property. The vote was 3-2.
Rezoning and variance requests for a five-acre piece of property in northern Henry County received an unfavorable response. The site in question is on Fairview Road to the east and west of Dior Drive, and six residential lots were proposed. A request for rezoning from RA (residential agricultural) to R-2 (single-family residential) was recommended for denial due to the requirements to build on the property, and a subsequent variance request for relief from Highway Corridor Overlay District requirements was also rejected to maintain consistency within the district. Both votes were unanimous. Final approval or denial of rezoning requests lies with the Board of Commissioners.
Two variance requests on the agenda were withdrawn by the applicant prior to the meeting. County staff announced at the start of the meeting that both cases had been withdrawn and would not be rescheduled for a later date. Each request was in regard to a lot just under a half-acre in the Woodbridge Estates subdivision, on the east side of Chambers Road a short distance north of Mount Carmel Road, and in both cases the applicant was seeking to get a reduction in the front yard setback.
