Coffee County Board of Zone Appeals approves B Street setback, hears several A‑1 variances and tables one request

The Coffee County Board of Zone Appeals met Aug. 21 and considered multiple variance requests tied to residential setbacks and the county’s A‑1 five‑acre minimum. The board approved a 25‑foot building‑setback variance for a proposed home on B Street, approved variances tied to family hardship and septic placement on two properties, and tabled a request for Hendricks Lane after no one appeared to represent that application.

The meeting opened with routine approvals of minutes and the agenda, then moved to the variance items. A recurring theme in discussion was a county moratorium and a change to A‑1 zoning that raised the minimum lot size to five acres; staff and board members cited the moratorium and planning staff guidance when explaining why some A‑1 requests face strict limits.

Southern Custom Buildings, B Street (Oakley Subdivision) Southern Custom Buildings requested a setback variance for a home in Oakley Subdivision. A representative said the proposed house would be “about a 1,200 square foot with a small garage” and roughly “30 feet wide,” and that the lot configuration in Oakley features 100‑foot lots with existing houses built close to property lines. The board moved to approve a 25‑foot setback for the B Street lot. The board vote passed 4 to 0. The chair told the applicant to coordinate paperwork with county staff next week.

Ragsdale Road (Smotherman) — developer proposal to split a 6‑plus acre tract Representatives identified as Robin and Chad of Shore Creek Homes described purchasing a roughly six‑acre tract in order to divide…