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Council upholds appeal, denies accessory-dwelling SUP at 614 East Live Oak
Summary
After a public hearing with neighborhood opposition, the council upheld an appeal and denied a special-use permit (SUP) request to build a 1,000-square-foot accessory dwelling unit rentable to nonhousehold members at 614 E. Live Oak.
The Lockhart City Council upheld an appeal and denied a special-use permit (SUP) that would have allowed a 1,000-square-foot accessory dwelling unit (ADU) general type and associated covered parking on a 0.322-acre lot at 614 East Live Oak Street.
Planning Director David Fowler summarized the request and zoning standards. The lot met minimum size thresholds for an ADU general application (the lot exceeds the 8,500 square-foot minimum required for eligibility), but the ADU general type sought by the applicant would be larger than the limited ADU type allowed by right and would be able to be rented to unrelated parties. Fowler said the planning-and-zoning commission approved the SUP at a 3–1 vote with the condition the driveway be paved to 12 feet in width. Neighbors filed an appeal within the 10-day appeal period and presented written objections and in-person testimony.
Six nearby residents spoke at council meetings, describing recurring problems they attribute to student and transient activity around the block, including fence-jumping near the high school, property damage, fights, and public-drug use in alleyways. Residents said the ADU would be rented and that the lot’s single shared driveway and rear access would create privacy, safety and circulation concerns for adjacent homeowners. One resident said she and neighbors had unsuccessfully reported similar problems to the school in the past.
Fowler noted that an ADU limited type (600 square feet or half the primary unit, whichever is greater) can be established by right and would be limited to household members or caretakers, but the ADU general type requested allows rental to unrelated occupants and requires SUP approval. The council heard from the applicant by letter (applicant did not attend) and then closed the public hearing.
On a motion to grant the appeal (thereby denying the SUP), council voted 7–0 to uphold the appeal and deny the requested accessory-dwelling general SUP for 614 East Live Oak.
