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Board approves accessory apartment at 143 Dale Drive; fire-flow and HOA issues noted
Summary
The board approved finishing a basement into an accessory dwelling unit at 143 Dale Drive with conditions including payment of fees, confirmation of HOA rules and meeting fire and code requirements; staff noted the project could trigger a 1,750-gpm fire-flow requirement.
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a special-exception request to allow an accessory apartment in the basement of a house at 143 Dale Drive in the Gwynn Farm subdivision, subject to conditions including payment of applicable fees and verification that the homeowner association permits the unit.
Planning staff said the lot is in a PRD zone and measures 7,118 square feet. The applicant plans to finish an existing basement to create an independent living space with a full kitchen, bathroom, laundry and bedroom. Staff said the finishing would add roughly 1,000 square feet and push the total roof-area square footage above a 36,100-square-foot threshold that can trigger additional fire-suppression requirements; the fire-department threshold discussed in the hearing was 1,750 gallons per minute.
Staff recommended approval with conditions that include payment of all applicable development and inspection fees (Rutherford County development tax, town impact fees, code inspection fees, etc.), verification with the HOA or covenants that accessory units are allowed, that the unit not be used as a rental, and that all applicable building and fire-department requirements be met. The board asked whether sprinklers or other suppression measures could be required; staff said sprinkling is a common mitigation if hydrant flow is insufficient and that a fire-flow calculation and any required permits or installations would be addressed before a building permit is issued.
No members of the public spoke in favor or against the request during the public hearing. The board moved to approve the accessory-apartment special exception with the staff conditions and the motion carried.
