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Oldsmar board approves lot-coverage variance for Oak Pond Court pool, 5-0
Summary
The Oldsmar Board of Adjustment approved a variance to raise maximum lot coverage from 50% to 59.5% for a private pool and deck at 1763 Oak Pond Court after staff recommended approval; neighbors raised flood, drainage and survey accuracy concerns.
The Oldsmar Board of Adjustment voted 5-0 April 23 to approve a variance (VAR25-04) allowing a homeowner at 1763 Oak Pond Court to increase maximum lot coverage from 50% to 59.5% to build a pool and rear deck.
Staff recommended approval. Matt Jackson, planning manager for the City of Oldsmar, told the board the R-2 zoned property is a 6,240-square-foot lot currently developed with a single-family residence and that the application seeks the coverage increase solely to construct a pool and deck. Jackson said the request was reviewed under section 3.17.3 of the Oldsmar Land Development Code and that similar lot-coverage variances have been granted in the past. "The proposed pool and deck addition...are typical amenities for single family residences," he said. The staff report submitted for the record recommended approval.
The applicant, Kimberly Roper of 1763 Oak Pond Court, said she seeks a small backyard pool for her children and described personal reasons for staying in the neighborhood. "I'm just trying to build a small pool in the backyard for my kids," Roper said, explaining she recently divorced and bought the house to remain near family.
A nearby resident, Lindsay Lee of 1732 Maple Leaf Boulevard, opposed the variance and raised multiple technical and procedural concerns, including flood risk, runoff, and the accuracy of the impervious-surface-ratio (ISR) worksheet that underlies the variance calculation. "Where is the water going to go?" Lee asked, pointing to the neighborhood's history of saturated ground and summer storms. Lee read detailed elevation figures and asserted the ISR worksheet overstated existing impervious area by including a 360-square-foot patio she said is already part of the building footprint.
Tatiana Childress, Oldsmar planning and redevelopment director, addressed procedural and technical questions. She said the submitted boundary survey is dated (revised Jan. 16, 2025) and that a full drainage plan is not required at the zoning variance stage but will be required during building-plan review by Public Works. "The stormwater drainage plan is required at the time of the construction...we required positive drainage so that water is not flooding the neighbors," Childress said, adding the subdivision ties to a stormwater pond and that newer subdivisions typically allow higher lot coverage thresholds.
During discussion, board members noted the prior similar variance considered recently and said each request is judged on its own merits. One board member stated staff would follow up with a site check. The motion to approve was made and seconded, and roll call votes recorded Yes from Chair Burrell, Vice Chair Ciccarolo, Board Member Clark, Board Member Smith, and Board Member Stephens Meyer; the motion passed 5-0.
The variance approval is limited to the zoning relief described in the application; construction and any drainage work remain subject to separate permit review and a required drainage plan by Public Works, and any building code or SWFWMD requirements must be satisfied during permitting.
