Fort Lauderdale board denies driveway variance for landlocked lot on Southwest 17th Place

The Fort Lauderdale Board of Adjustment voted down a request by property owner Honey Levy for a variance that would have allowed driveway access from adjacent parcels to a landlocked lot at Southwest 17th Place.

Levy, who identified herself as the owner of the parcel, told the board that the lot has no legal access and that she purchased it believing it to be buildable. She asked the board to approve a variance under the Unified Land Development Regulations so she could construct a driveway and obtain building permits. Levy said she and her attorney had attempted to reverse the sale after discovering the access issue and submitted survey and title documents during the application process.

Neighbors opposed the variance during the public hearing, saying the proposed access would route vehicle traffic and construction loads across private residential drives and narrow streets. Henry Alvarez, who said he has lived across the street since 1991, told the board the lot has been landlocked “for as long as I’ve lived there” and warned a new access drive could be the start of further subdivisions and…