The City of Central Board of Adjustment voted to approve a variance that increases the allowed size of an accessory dwelling unit at 15200 Keystone Drive from 1,000 square feet to 1,600 square feet.

The board granted the variance after applicants said the larger unit would serve as future primary housing for a household member with health needs, and after the board attached a condition that the approval be filed with the clerk of court and the property owner must return for review if the existing trailer remains on the lot after 10 years.

The property is a 4.18-acre parcel in the Keystone Subdivision in the R-1 single-family residential zoning district. Applicant Cynthia Chapman appeared with Kevin Morris, who told the board, “We’re asking for, an increase in the, living area of a accessory dwelling unit from 1,000 square feet to 1,600 square feet.” Morris said a trailer currently on the lot is the primary residence of Chapman’s mother and that the proposed structure would eventually replace the trailer as the main residence.

Board members questioned whether the applicants had demonstrated the statutory variance criteria and asked for a specific hardship. A nearby resident and commenter pointed out a shared driveway and a narrow buildable area on the lot, saying there is “really no other spot for it to go besides right there.” Morris and the applicant described the lot’s narrow configuration and noted that part of the parcel crosses the Comite River, which the board said contributed to the site’s uniqueness.

Chairman Merlin Webb cited the lot’s configuration and the limited buildable area in making a motion to approve and said the board would require the applicants to file the variance with the clerk of court; Webb added that if the trailer remained after 10 years the owner would need to return for another variance. The motion passed.

The board read aloud members’ appeal rights, noting that a party dissatisfied with the board’s ruling may appeal to the Nineteenth Judicial District Court within 30 days, as the chairman stated at the start of the meeting.

The board’s action is limited to the zoning variance; any building permits required for construction must still be obtained through the city’s permitting process.