Commission recommends setback variance for Ridgemore Drive property to allow one-foot side setback for garage

The Stephens County Planning Commission on July 1 recommended approval of a variance for Richard (Rick) Abbott to reduce the left-side yard setback to 1 foot at 1243 Ridgemoor Drive to permit construction of a garage.

Staff explained the property is a narrow, lakefront lot subject to Chapter 59 setback requirements that set a 10-foot side-yard standard for lakefront lots; the owner requested a 9-foot reduction. Abbott told the commission the house sits well back from the road and that the proposed garage would align with the house footprint so it would not be visible from the road. "If I get 1 foot off the property line... it would give me 19 feet," Abbott said, explaining how wall thickness and door clearances would leave roughly 17 feet of interior clearance for vehicles.

A recusal was noted for a property owner adjacent to the site. One commissioner asked staff to confirm that the variance would not change the minimum separation between buildings (a 20-foot requirement) or affect future setbacks for neighbors; staff confirmed Abbott’s variance would not alter neighboring property owners’ ability to meet their setbacks. The commission approved the variance with the motion including the condition that it not affect neighbors' future setbacks. The hearing record contains a voice vote; no numeric roll-call tally was provided.