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Germantown board approves variance for second driveway at 8904 Poplar Pike
Summary
The Germantown Board of Zoning Appeals approved variance case 25-015 to permit a second driveway in the front-yard setback at 8904 Poplar Pike, citing safety concerns tied to traffic and sight lines; the measure passed 6-0.
At its Sept. 9 meeting, the Germantown Board of Zoning Appeals approved variance case 25-015 to allow a second driveway in the front-yard setback at 8904 Poplar Pike, a corner lot in the RE-1 (residential estate) zoning district. The board cited safety and sight-line concerns and voted 6-0 to grant the variance.
Staff presenter Miss Tillman described the property as a two-acre, double-frontage lot with two residences listed at 8904 and 8906 Poplar Pike and said the application was reviewed under the board—s standard variance criteria, including whether exceptional conditions of the lot created practical difficulties for the owner. Tillman noted the file included a 1975 survey and showed the existing driveway opening on Poplar Pike between two substantial brick/stone entrance columns.
Applicant Mr. Lyke, who identified his address as 8904 Poplar Pike, told the board he and his wife have been Germantown residents for decades and recently moved onto the two-acre parcel. He said the existing driveway opening between the columns is narrow and that traffic cresting the nearby hill and vehicles coming from Aintree and CD Smith Road make turning into the Poplar Pike opening difficult. "It's pretty difficult to turn in between those two big concrete columns," he said. He added the request was made for safety: "we want a safe passage in."
Robert Gorman, president of Westland Partners (which the record shows owns part of the property), told the board there is existing asphalt and that keeping two access points would allow a fire truck to pull through the property if needed. "One reason we want to keep both in and outs is that a fire truck would actually be able to pull through the property if needed," Gorman said.
Board members asked about the use and history of the two houses, whether the second house was rented, and whether the owners intended to increase parking. Mr. Lyke said both houses have been on the parcel since at least the early 20th century, one has been rented at times, and each house currently has a double garage, so the intent for the second driveway is access and safety rather than added street parking. The board also discussed whether the Poplar Pike entrance could be removed; the applicant said he did not want to remove historical entrance monuments without knowing their origin.
Several board members said they had visited the site. Mr. Towne said safety concerns justified the variance: "I vote to approve based on the extraordinary exceptional situation, especially with safety." Mr. Jacobs said he had inspected the site and agreed the Poplar Pike location presented a dangerous situation given traffic from CD Smith Road and the curvature of the road. Vice Mayor Gibson and other members likewise cited safety and practical difficulties as the basis for approval.
Motion to approve was made and seconded; the board called the roll and the vote was recorded as: Mr. Towne — yes; Mr. Bland — yes; Miss Meanwell — yes; Mr. Jacobs — yes; Vice Mayor Gibson — yes; Chairman Yohorn — yes. The motion passed 6-0.
After the vote, applicants and their representative said they would proceed with engineering and clearing sight lines as needed. The meeting record shows board members expressed hope the driveway approach onto Ashmont Drive would be cleared to provide safe sight lines before use.
