Glynn County planning commission approves variance to remove 10-foot utility easement in Admirals Cove

Glynn County Planning Commission on June 24, 2025 approved a subdivision-variance relief that removes the requirement for a 10-foot utility easement along the western property line of a corner lot at 31 Admirals Cove, a move the property owners say is needed to allow construction of a two-car carport.

Christina Wright, senior planner, told commissioners the request — listed on the agenda as ExcessDash25Dash1631 Admirals Cove — seeks relief "to allow for the removal of the requirement of a 10 foot utility easement as required by section 6 0 5.1 along the western property line of a lot located at 31 Admirals Cove." Wright said the property is zoned R-6 (single-family residential) and the applicants are Christopher and Ashley Lead, property owners.

The commission’s action removes the subdivision regulation requirement only; Wright and other speakers described the approval as the first of three steps the owners must complete before building the carport. The remaining steps are a separate side-setback variance from the Board of Appeals and an abandonment of the public easement by the Board of County Commissioners. Wright told the commission the subdivision regulations requiring the 10-foot easement are codified in section 605.1 and that the county’s current subdivision regulations originally took effect Aug. 5, 1976.

Commissioners heard that the 10-foot strip currently contains no utilities. Wright said, "If you look at the supporting documents, there's absolutely no utilities in that 10 foot setback." Commissioners also noted there are letters from neighbors supporting the request and that the lot is a corner parcel near Captains Walk, between Mallory and George Watson.

One commissioner questioned whether granting the relief would set a precedent for other lots; staff said the commission was being asked only to relieve the subdivision-regulation requirement for this specific parcel. Another commissioner argued that reduced setbacks elsewhere in the neighborhood had already been granted by a past Board of Appeals action and urged caution, saying a homeowner’s inability to fit a two-car garage is not necessarily a hardship. That speaker said, "not be able to have a 2 car garage is not a hardship. It should be a 1 car garage instead, in my opinion." The transcript identifies that speaker only as a commissioner.

Staff and commissioners reviewed the property's history: the structure on the lot was constructed in February 2008 and the plot was approved in February 2007; the subdivision received a front-yard setback variance from the Board of Appeals on May 13, 2004. Wright presented a site survey and site plan showing the proposed carport orientation.

The planning commission moved and approved the variance relieving the subdivision regulation requirement. The meeting record shows the motion was seconded and the commission voted in favor; the transcript records no opposition but does not record an exact vote tally.

Planning staff clarified procedural points: because this step is a special variance under the commission’s authority, the action did not require a public hearing. Stephanie Lee, planning and zoning director, also addressed a separate agenda item that had been withdrawn and said about resubmissions, "Because he withdrew before the planning commission final action, I believe he can... I don't think he has a time limit on when he can resubmit," adding there are different waiting periods if a case is denied or withdrawn at later stages.

What happens next: the property owners must obtain a side-setback variance from the Board of Appeals and seek a formal abandonment of the public-use easement from the Board of County Commissioners before constructing the carport. The commission’s approval on June 24 was limited to the subdivision-regulation relief recorded in the planning commission action.