Board grants variance allowing primary residence to be placed behind existing accessory structures in Twin Lakes subdivision

Dorchester County’s Board of Zoning Appeals granted a variance on Feb. 26 allowing placement of a primary residence behind existing accessory structures on a 6.65‑acre lot in the Twin Lakes subdivision.

Planning staff told the board the lot contains two permitted accessory structures that were originally behind an older primary residence that has since been removed. Staff said heavy clay soils and a small buildable envelope in the front yard limit placement of a new house there; public sewer and water are not available at the site and connecting to sewer would require an unavailable gravity tie‑in. The applicant requested the variance to permit a new primary home where the accessory buildings stand.

Applicant Theresa Dowdy told the board the owners had not created the site conditions and that prior mobile homes and septic systems existed on the parcel; she said a septic is still functioning and a dirt pad is available. During discussion, a board member asked whether percolation (perk) tests existed for the front area; Dowdy said no perk test had been done because there was insufficient room to site a home in the front yard.

A board member moved to approve the variance citing the lot’s constraints; another member seconded the motion. The board voted to grant the variance.

The approval is specific to the property described and rests on the soil characteristics, presence of existing accessory structures and lack of available sewer, all of which staff identified as unique circumstances justifying the variance.