Board denies variance for unpermitted Reynoso Avenue porch; owner may appeal to county commission

The Glynn County Board of Appeals voted to deny a variance request for a front porch at 301 Reynoso Avenue on St. Simons Island after hearing that the porch was built in 2020 without a permit and that code enforcement has an ongoing case.

Planning staff planner Niecy Carroll told the board the applicant requested relief under Glynn County zoning ordinance Section 701 for a front‑porch addition to an R‑9 one‑family residential property. Carroll said staff did not recommend approval “due to self‑imposed hardship,” and noted file materials show the porch was constructed during the pandemic without an initial building permit.

Architect Darby McCloskey, representing the owners, described the COVID‑era circumstances that led to the construction and said the owners have since prepared drawings to bring the porch into code compliance. “We did the construction drawings for the addition so that it indeed meets the hurricane loads,” McCloskey told the board, and said magistrate court had previously told the owners to return to the building department to resolve the matter.

Owner Susan Kohler said the porch provides a place where she can sit outside during asthma attacks and that the porch has been used for rest and recovery. A neighbor, Steven Spencer of 300 Wild Heron Road, testified about multiple unpermitted modifications on the lot and expressed concerns about construction quality and a partially built rear structure he described as a safety risk.

Building‑department staff John Farnsworth and board members questioned the justification for the unpermitted work. One board member said, “Ignorance of the rules and ignoring them is absolutely not an excuse in my book,” and another member described a pattern of encroachments shown on the submitted survey (pool, accessory structures, shed/garage and the front porch).

The board then moved to deny the variance. A board member made the motion to deny ZV25‑1; the motion carried. The transcript does not record a roll‑call tally in the audio, and the board noted the property owner may appeal the decision to the Glynn County Commission.

What happens now: if the board’s denial is upheld by the commission, code enforcement may require the porch to be dismantled or altered to meet setback and permitting requirements. Planning staff said the owner may also seek modifications, pursue administrative options with the building department, or file an appeal to the commission.

Record details taken from staff and speakers: the home was shown in files as constructed in 1962; current owners purchased the property in 2019 (deed dated 11/25/2019); the front porch was added in 2020 without a permit; code enforcement citations are active and the owner filed for a permit in December 2024. Staff materials identified multiple alleged violations on the lot, including accessory buildings and roofing work cited without permits.

The board recommended the owners work with building inspections to bring any permitted work into compliance and explained appeal rights to the Glynn County Commission.