Milton BZA approves variance to place detached garage in front yard at 15060 Freemanville Road

The Milton Board of Zoning Appeals on March 18 voted unanimously to approve a primary variance (V2503) allowing a proposed detached garage to be located in front of the existing single-family home at 15060 Freemanville Road.

The variance allows a detached accessory structure to sit forward of the principal house where the Unified Development Code (UDC) would typically require accessory structures to be behind the house. Staff presented the application, noting the 6.3-acre lot sits at the northwest intersection of Freemanville Road and Deer Haven Lane in the AG-1 zoning district and the Rural Milton Overlay. The board approved the variance with two conditions: approval of the variance site plan (Walker/McWhorter and Anderson Land Surveying & Civil Engineering, received 01/21/2025) and approval of the landscape plan (Gibbs Landscaping Company, received 03/13/2025) as approved by the city arborist.

The applicant said the front location was chosen to preserve an existing hardwood canopy and because topography toward the center and sides of the lot is steeper. "We feel like it... fits in with the intent of the UDC," Daniel Harper, the applicant, said. Owner Cliff Robinson added they moved to the property recently and had considered other locations but concluded the proposed siting would avoid a large retaining wall and minimize visibility to neighboring lots.

Staff described proposed architectural treatments (board-and-batten siding, a brick water table and a standing-seam metal roof) and said the detached garage would be about 19 feet, 2 inches tall. The applicant submitted a vegetative screening plan with plants sized mostly in the 8–12-foot range; staff said the city arborist reviewed and approved that plan. Staff also presented a set of neighbor support letters and noted the Design Review Board recommended approval while asking for a support letter from the house directly across Freemanville Road; the applicant said he had attempted contact but had not received a response.

Board members who spoke in favor said the proposed location preserves trees and topography and that the architecture and screening will reduce visibility from the street and neighboring properties. The board's motion included the two staff-recommended conditions; the motion passed unanimously.

The board asked staff to continue working with the applicant on final plan details and to ensure implementation follows the approved site and landscape plans and the arborist's conditions during permitting and construction.