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Oconee commissioners approve rezoning and two front-yard variance requests with conditions
Summary
The board approved rezoning of a 10-acre parcel from AG to AR-3 and granted two variances for a proposed detached garage at 1011 Barnett Drive with a requirement to restore a roadside swale and install evergreen screening.
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning and granted two variance requests tied to a proposed detached garage at 1011 Barnett Drive during its June meeting.
The board approved rezoning request P25-0039, changing 10 acres at 1488 Old Bishop Road from Agricultural (AG) to AR-3 residential zoning. Planning staff said the change preserves the overall density of the parcel and recommended conditional approval with the two standard staff conditions; the planning commission had made the same recommendation. A motion to approve the rezoning passed without recorded opposition.
On a separate matter the board considered variance requests P24-0255 and P25-0078 from property owner Susan Chamberlain. The first request sought to reduce the required private freestanding garage setback from 200 feet to roughly 34.4 feet along Barnett Shoals Drive and 38.1 feet along Barnett Drive. The second sought a front-yard setback reduction from 40 feet to 34.4 feet along South Barnett Shoals. Planning staff recommended conditional approval and added that the property owner must restore a roadside swale that had been removed during tree clearing; restoration must satisfy public works before building permits can be issued. Opponents and nearby residents, including Eric Starkey of 1020 Barnett Drive, raised concerns about drainage, standing water, erosion and possible septic impacts across the road.
Commissioner discussion addressed maintenance of the subdivision’s sheet-flow drainage (the neighborhood lacks curb-and-gutter), the need for swale restoration and whether a homeowners association existed (staff said none). Commissioners added a third condition to the P24-0255 approval requiring evergreen vegetation along the road right-of-ways for screening; the board applied the same conditions to P25-0078 and approved both variances. The board specified that any required ditch/swale restoration would be completed at the Chamberlains’ expense before permit issuance.
The approvals were recorded by motion and voice vote; commissioners did not enumerate individual vote names on the record. The planning staff record and the recorded plat were entered into the application packet for both the rezoning and the variance requests.
