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Florence BZA approves reduced side setbacks for commercial infill at 1531 South Irby St
Summary
The Board approved a variance to relax combined side-setback requirements at 1531 South Irby Street, allowing construction of a compact commercial building; owner William Scofield described plans for a 1,500-square-foot storefront with office space above.
The Florence City Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance permitting reduced combined side setbacks for a proposed commercial building at 1531 South Irby Street, a narrow, L-shaped parcel owned by Carolina Enterprises Incorporated.
City staff described the parcel (tax map 90093-01-013) as a narrow portion of land that fronts on South Irby Street, currently vacant. The parcel is zoned Commercial General (CG). Staff said the CG district typically requires 20-foot side setbacks with a combined total of 50 feet between both sides, a 50-foot front setback, and a 40-foot rear setback. The proposed site plan would meet front and rear setbacks but would fall short of the combined 50-foot side-setback requirement by a small margin: one side dimension was described as about 18 feet, making the total slightly less than the required combined width.
Staff presented elevations and said the intended building is a low-intensity commercial “spec” building with parking in front and potential for shared parking behind. The report argued the narrow frontage limits the ability to build a reasonable commercial structure under current UDO standards and that surrounding parcels show a wide variety of setbacks and building placements. Staff recommended granting the variance to enable infill development and remove an “eyesore” from the corridor.
William Scofield, president of Carolina Enterprises and the property owner, testified in support of the request. Scofield described a planned roughly 1,500-square-foot commercial lease space on the ground floor with approximately 1,500 square feet of office space above for his business. He said potential tenants had expressed interest in the first-floor space and that he would remove one of the existing signs to reduce clutter. He also told the board he expected a future DOT roadway change to provide additional road frontage for nearby parcels but said that would not take any of the property for which the variance was requested.
No members of the public spoke in opposition and staff reported no written public comments had been received. Board member Poston moved to approve the variance, Valver seconded, and the chair declared the motion carried after the ayes. The motion’s findings, read into the record, cited the parcel’s narrow frontage and the availability of shared parking at adjacent Freedom Square as supporting factors for the variance.
The owner said he plans to build structures consistent with adjacent commercial character and will coordinate required permits and any shared-parking arrangements as part of the permitting process.
