The Wilson County Board of Zoning Appeals on a motion-and-vote record at its October meeting approved a series of variances for accessory structures and nonconforming lots, renewed a short‑term rental permit for one year and reauthorized the Haunted Woods seasonal attraction for one year with operating‑day limits.

The board moved first on an application from Theodore Bunting seeking approval to operate a short‑term rental on Linwood Road. The applicant told the board the property will be managed to meet county rules, that an on‑site event building has been removed from advertised listings and that the advertised maximum has been reduced to six overnight guests. Theodore Bunting, the applicant, said he accepted responsibility for not obtaining required zoning earlier and said, “when you know better, you do better.” The board approved the renewal for one year and included the business plan and stipulations in the approval, including a maximum of six overnight guests and a prohibition on operating an event center.

The board then considered multiple variance requests for accessory structures and lot requirements across the county. Staff presented recommendations and historical notes for each lot; several parcels were identified as older tracts of record, which staff said supported approval for setback and lot‑size variances under the zoning ordinance. The board approved variances including:
- a 3‑foot height variance to permit a 25‑foot accessory building for a private indoor pickleball court on Karen Drive;
- variances to allow a replacement house footprint and related setback and lot‑width exceptions on Vester Road (existing substandard lot of record);
- a rear‑yard setback variance to permit a residential pool at Poplar Point;
- a 3‑foot height variance for an accessory lakefront garage/storage structure at Spencer Creek Lake where the applicant said the building will provide storage while a future primary house is rebuilt;
- multiple side‑yard and lot‑size variances for lake and residential lots where structures predate current ordinances.

Several votes on height variances prompted extended discussion. For one accessory‑structure height variance at Spencer Creek Lakeside Homes, board members debated whether the proposed building looked engineered for future residential use; the motion to approve passed 3–2. For a separate accessory‑structure height variance submitted on an agricultural parcel for RV and hay storage, the board approved the request with one opposed.

On renewals, the board granted a one‑year short‑term rental renewal for the property on Saundersville Ferry Road; staff noted there were no complaints on file. The board also renewed the seasonal use variance for the Haunted Woods (a property operated on an approximately 38‑acre site) for one year. The approval for Haunted Woods restated prior seasonal limits and specified days and hours for the coming year: Thursdays and Sundays 7–10 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays 7 p.m. to midnight during the September–October operating window. The board excluded approval for expansion to year‑round private events without a separate application.

Board members and staff also discussed ongoing ordinance work in the planning pipeline, including proposed changes to lot‑size rules, accessory dwelling unit sizing and accessory structure height guidance. Staff said the accessory dwelling unit size under consideration would move from 600 square feet to 1,000 square feet if adopted through the normal ordinance process.

The meeting closed after administrative updates and an enforcement update on a pending shooting‑range zoning enforcement matter; the county attorney and staff said portions of that enforcement action had been resolved informally but that the overall case remained pending.

Votes at a glance (case number — applicant — request summary — outcome):
4334 — Theodore Bunting — approval to operate short‑term rental; approval for 1 year; maximum 6 overnight guests; no event center — Approved (board vote: ayes carried)
4336 — Vance Bradshaw — variance, accessory building height (requested +3 ft over 22 ft) for indoor pickleball court — Approved (vote reported 4–1)
4337 — Kipli Properties (Lee Knight representing) — variances: road frontage, front and east side setbacks, lot width and lot size to allow replacement house footprint on substandard lot — Approved (ayes carried)
4338 — Wilson Trucking / Andrew Carter — rear yard setback variance to allow pool construction — Approved (ayes carried)
4339 — Garner Construction / Scott Hoffman — variance, accessory structure height +3 ft (lakefront garage/storage) — Approved (vote 3–2)
4340 — Delaine Lopez — side‑yard/lot width/lot size variances for existing garage and replacement deck on pre‑existing lot — Approved (ayes carried)
4341 — Michelle Brito — variances (separation between cabana and home, cabana to water edge, side yard); staff added a separation variance after field review — Approved (ayes carried)
4342 — Terry Abney — 3‑foot variance from north side yard setback to build a garage to house a caregiver unit — Approved (ayes carried)
4343 — Martin / owner represented by Maria Zolaya — short‑term rental renewal for 1 year with original stipulations — Approved (ayes carried)
4344 — Ralph Capps — 5‑foot north side yard variance to replace rear deck on pre‑existing barn lot — Approved (staff recommended)
4345 — Haunted Woods (Dave Gober / incoming operator) — renewal of seasonal use; approved for 1 year with operating days limited to Thursdays and Sundays 7–10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays 7 p.m.–midnight during September–October; no expansion to year‑round private events without a separate application — Approved (ayes carried)
4346 — Keystone Construction / Richard Norvell — accessory‑structure height variance (approx. 1 ft 9 in) to store RV and hay — Approved (one member recorded opposition)
4347 — Renee Moore — 5‑foot variance for 8‑ft separation between structures (existing carport and barn); parcel is older tract of record — Approved (staff recommended)

What the approvals mean and what remains: approvals for variances and renewals carry site‑specific conditions set by the board (for example, guest limits, operational hours and prohibition of event centers). Several approvals relied on the lots’ status as older tracts of record, which staff said supports setback and lot‑size relief under current rules. Board members noted ongoing inconsistency issues when evaluating accessory‑structure variances and discussed planned ordinance work to standardize height and accessory‑dwelling rules; those ordinance changes will proceed through planning commission and county commission before becoming law.

The board’s actions were procedural approvals of the listed variances and renewals; they did not, in the hearing, create new county code language. Any applicant wishing to change use beyond the terms approved must return to the board or pursue a separate permitting/ordinance path.