Board of Zoning Appeals approves 15-foot setback variance for Thompson property on Berkeley Drive

The Mecklenburg County Board of Zoning Appeals on Jan. 28 approved a variance allowing Maxwell and Beverly Thompson to reduce the required building setback from 50 feet to 35 feet for a proposed garage at their property on the east side of Route 1606 (Berkeley Drive), approximately two miles south of its intersection with Route 1605 (Woodland Drive), record number 36963.

The variance request was presented under Article 4, Section 4(a)-3, Paragraph a (yard regulations). A staff member read the application and location information into the record. An applicant representative described the site stakes and said they had originally understood the setback to be 30 feet and only learned the 50-foot requirement when applying for a permit. The applicant said the rear of the proposed garage aligns with a piece of rebar and that the lot slopes significantly at the rear, which factored into the request to reduce the setback by 15 feet.

A board member moved to grant the variance and a second was given. The motion was approved by voice vote; the transcript records the board saying “all in favor” but does not include a roll-call or numerical tally. The transcript does not name the mover or the second.

The board record number for the application is 36963. The transcript also references an internal reference string ("Deepak l r-21-5746") when staff read the file information.

The board did not record any public letters or calls in opposition during the meeting. The action taken was a final decision to grant the requested setback variance, with no amendments or follow-up conditions recorded in the transcript.

The applicants and neighboring property owners will need to rely on the county permitting process to confirm final placement and code compliance before construction begins.