Caroline County BZA approves variances for Preston waterfront property, requires mitigation plan option

The Caroline County Board of Zoning Appeals on Oct. 21 approved a variance to allow a 103‑square‑foot sunroom to be constructed over an existing waterfront patio at 23260 Holly Park Drive in Preston, and separately approved, by board vote, a plan that gives the property owners the option to construct a 600‑square‑foot (20 by 30) pole building while either relocating an existing 179‑square‑foot shed with on‑site mitigation or removing it.

The actions affect a property in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area limited development area (LDA). County staff told the board the local program sets a 15% lot‑coverage limit in the LDA; staff’s review found the parcel’s existing legal, grandfathered lot coverage is 17.9% but that the applicants’ proposal would result in no net increase in lot coverage after removal of a portion of driveway and relocation or removal of the shed. The application on file is 25‑0025 by Mark and Lisa Marinelli.

The board’s vote on the sunroom was approved during the meeting; the board required that any construction be accompanied by a building permit and zoning certificate and a buffer management plan and noted the decision will be void one year from the date of the decision unless a plat is recorded…