Dorchester County Board of Appeals backs variance for 18x30 deck in critical-area buffer

The Dorchester County Board of Appeals recommended approval of a variance allowing a homeowner to construct an 18-by-30-foot open deck at 6213 Troy Pointe Cove in Cambridge, Md., inside the county's mapped critical-area buffer.

The board's recommendation, made during a public meeting, included three conditions: the deck may not be converted to lot coverage in the future (including enclosure as a sunroom or placement of lot coverage beneath the deck), the applicant must provide a buffer management plan mitigating permanent disturbances at a 3:1 ratio, and the county's recommendation that a record note be placed in the property file or land records. The motion for a favorable recommendation passed on a voice vote without recorded opposition.

The variance request stems from the property's history and current site conditions. Planning and Zoning staff member Cassie Dyson told the board that the primary structure was built in 1981, before critical-area regulations applied, and that the lot is mapped…