The City of Newberry Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously Monday, Oct. 6, to approve a variance reducing the required minimum rear-yard setback for Lot 339 in Phase 7 of the Countryway of Newberry tiny-home subdivision, moving the required distance from 10 feet to 4.3 feet (a requested variance of 5.7 feet). The applicant, Tripp Northley of Tiny Home Newberry LLC, asked the board to act so construction already underway could proceed.

The vote follows a staff presentation by Stacy Hectus of the Community Development Department and a quasi‑judicial hearing process in which participants were sworn and advised that testimony would be limited to the evidentiary record. Hectus said the parcel is 0.02 acre (Parcel 02544-070-339) and that, if recommended by the Planning and Zoning Board, the item will be heard by the Board of Adjustment on Monday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.

During the meeting, Northley told the board the developer plans to file a planned‑development (PD) amendment to change setbacks for one‑story structures across a run of lots and that the current request is intended as a single‑lot remedy while a broader amendment is developed. "We are gonna come with a PD, to come back and ask for a 0 setback on these lots," Northley said. Staff and board members said the PD amendment — when filed — could address similar requests in bulk for lots numbered roughly 331 through 365 that back to the same retention pond.

Board members asked about flood and safety risks related to the retention pond behind the lots. Northley described the pond as "about about 7 acres behind these homes" and said storm events last fall raised water levels by about two feet; he also said the pond slopes away from the lots and, in his assessment, poses a low chance of water entering the homes. Hectus said lots on the west side that sit over a stormwater pipe would not be eligible for the PD amendment because building over the pipe is not permitted.

No members of the public spoke on the variance during the three‑minute public comment period. After deliberations, a member moved to approve the variance (exact motion wording not recorded in the transcript); the motion was seconded and carried by a unanimous voice vote.

The Planning and Zoning Board and staff noted the applicant intends to submit a PD amendment to cover additional lots; the Board of Adjustment will make the final decision on the Lot 339 variance on Oct. 27. If approved, any further changes for lots 331–365 would proceed through the PD amendment process and additional public hearings.