Commission recommends favorable to Board of Appeals for large addition within 100-foot buffer at Taylors Island property

Dorchester County planning staff and the commission recommended that the Board of Appeals consider a variance allowing a 1,258-square-foot addition to an existing 670-square-foot residence at 4613 North Point Road on Taylors Island, a property that is entirely encumbered by the county's 100-foot critical-area buffer.

County critical-area staff explained the property is largely within the buffer and that the proposed addition does not get closer to mean high water than the existing dwelling. Staff said the net increase in lot coverage would be 798 square feet and that the applicant must mitigate new permanent buffer disturbance at a 3:1 ratio.

Brennan Molini, attorney for the applicant, said the house would increase from 670 to 1,928 square feet after the addition and described efforts to reduce buffer impacts by relocating the driveway and removing existing lot coverage. "The structure will go from 670 square feet to a total of 1,928 square feet," Molini said, and he noted the proposed driveway reconfiguration would place the driveway farther from mean high water (59.6 feet) than the current 27.8 feet.

Staff noted the dwelling was built in 1968 and that, because the entire parcel is encumbered by the 100-foot buffer and expanded hydric-soil area, there are few locations on the lot where an addition could be placed. Staff recommended the commission forward a favorable recommendation to the Board of Appeals once outstanding critical-area comments are received.

Commissioners voted to recommend approval to the Board of Appeals; the recommendation was made subject to addressing comments from the county critical-area reviewers. The vote was recorded as favorable (5–0) in the meeting record.

The applicant and staff will provide outstanding critical-area review comments to the Board of Appeals for its hearing and any required mitigation must be implemented before permits are issued.