City staff proposes administrative variances, lower voting threshold and new appeal route for Board of Adjustment

City development staff told the Board of Adjustment on July 9 that they will bring code amendments this fall to create an administrative variance procedure for limited changes, lower the board’s supermajority voting requirement to a simple majority for variances, and move the post-decision appeal from circuit court to the City Commission as a quasi‑judicial review.

Carlene Devanish of the Development Services Department presented the proposals and said they were requested by the City Commission after public comments and city research. Devanish described the administrative-variance concept as limited to existing single‑family residential principal and accessory structures and recommended a 25% or 3‑foot cap (whichever is less) for relief on yard setbacks and structure height; the proposal…