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Council denies front-setback variance request for single-family lot in Dawsonville
Summary
The council denied a request to reduce a front setback from 20 feet to 10 feet for a new single-family residence, with staff recommending denial for not meeting hardship criteria.
The Dawsonville City Council on May 5 denied a front-setback variance that would have allowed a new single-family home to sit 10 feet from the front property line instead of the required 20 feet.
CPO planner Sarah McQuade told the council the request sought a front-setback variance from 20 feet to 10 feet to permit construction of a 35-foot-by-40-foot house (about 1,400 square feet). She said the lot is at the end of a cul-de-sac, wider than deep, and the proposed house already abuts the rear setback line and cannot be moved rearward because of topography. Staff recommended denial because the application did not meet the hardship criteria in the city ordinance.
McQuade said the proposed house meets the development’s minimum house size of 1,200 square feet. She also said a public hearing was held at the prior meeting and that no speakers had registered support or opposition at that time.
After brief discussion, Council member Mark French moved to deny the variance; Council member Caleb Phillips seconded. The council voted to deny the request.
The action was a denial only; no alternative approval or conditions were adopted. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally or any related appeals process discussed on the record during the meeting.
By denying the variance the council preserved the ordinance’s standard 20-foot front setback requirement for the lot in question. Any party seeking relief would need to comply with the city’s variance process, including establishing the hardship standard set out in the governing ordinance.
