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Liberty County approves front-yard setback variance at 35 Blue Crab Lane with conditions
Summary
The Board approved a variance allowing Gary and Molly Sauls to build an accessory garage closer to the road than R-12 zoning normally allows, setting the approved setback at 10 feet with conditions intended to reduce visual impact and preserve access to the waterfront.
The Liberty County Board of Commissioners voted to grant a variance that allows a property owner at 35 Blue Crab Lane to locate an accessory garage closer to the street than the R-12 front-yard setback ordinarily permits. The motion, made after planning staff and neighbors discussed alternatives, passed by a show-of-hands vote.
The owners, Gary and Molly Sauls, had asked to reduce the front-yard setback from the required 25 feet to 5 feet so they could site a garage on a waterfront lot that provides little buildable area in the rear because of the septic system and an oak tree. Planning staff described the lot as constrained by an on-site septic drain field and a hammerhead turnaround at the road end, and said the Planning Commission had recommended approval of a variance at its April meeting.
During debate, Commissioner Blunt said he had worked with the applicants and neighbors to craft a compromise. Under the board’s approval, the garage must be set 10 feet from the road (the applicants had offered to build at 11 feet), the slab location will be shifted to provide roughly 14 feet between the structure and an existing privacy fence, and the applicants agreed to a design intended to be residential in character rather than commercial metal siding. The board recorded the outcome as approved by voice/show of hands; no roll-call vote was read into the minutes.
Planning staff told the commission the property is in the uplands surrounded by marsh and wetlands and pointed to parcel number 2796001 in Twin Rivers. Staff emphasized physical constraints: the roadside septic tank location and mature trees limit options for siting an accessory structure. The board explicitly framed the approval as a site-specific variance with conditions rather than a change to the R-12 standard.
Next steps: Planning and permitting staff will record the variance conditions in the permit package so inspections and any building plans reflect the approved setback and the aesthetic conditions the commission required.
Sources: Planning presentation for 35 Blue Crab Lane, applicant statements, and the board’s motion and vote recorded in the meeting minutes.
