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Santa Fe Board of Adjustments approves lot‑width variance for 3710 FM 646 replat
Summary
The Board of Adjustments approved a variance to allow Lot 2 of a proposed replat at 3710 FM 646 to have a 60‑foot frontage in a Highway Commercial district that normally requires 100 feet; the board noted Lot 1 would remain large enough for possible future commercial use.
The Santa Fe Board of Adjustments on Jan. 13 approved a variance allowing a replat at 3710 FM 646 that would create Lot 2 with a 60‑foot frontage where the Santa Fe zoning code requires a minimum 100 feet in the Highway Commercial (HC) district.
City staff summarized the request as a replat that reduces Lot 2 to 60 feet of front width while leaving Lot 1 sufficiently large to be used for commercial purposes in the future if the owner chooses. The application packet included a letter from the petitioner’s family explaining the reason for the replat, and staff said single‑family homes are allowed in the HC district under current regulations.
The petitioner’s daughter, identified in the record only as the daughter of Mr. Vail, said she wants to move closer to her aging father and asked the board to approve the replat so she could build nearby. “I just really want this to happen,” she said during the public hearing.
Board members questioned mapping details and alternatives, including whether a different split would interfere with existing haying operations on the remainder of the property. City staff said the presented layout was an alternative to splitting the parcel down the middle, and that Lot 1 would retain the roughly 40 feet of frontage not included in Lot 2 so it could remain large enough for future commercial use. The Galveston County CAD map and the replat drawing were discussed during the hearing.
A motion to accept the variance was made and seconded; the board conducted a roll call and recorded unanimous approval. The board did not require the city engineer to review the replat because the subdivision did not create more than four lots, a threshold staff said can be handled administratively.
The variance is approved as described on the replat application. The board’s approval does not immediately change land use; any future commercial development on Lot 1 would still be subject to applicable permits and code requirements.
