Worcester County panel approves garage variances for Snow Hill property with fence condition
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Summary
The Worcester County Board approved two variances for a garage and related structures at 6626 Snow Hill Road, directing the owner to install a six‑foot vinyl privacy fence between the kennel and the adjacent neighbor as a condition of approval.
The Worcester County Board of Zoning Appeals on April 10 approved two variances for a new garage and related structures at 6626 Snow Hill Road, granting relief from setback requirements and conditioning approval on installation of a six‑foot vinyl privacy fence.
The applicant, Sean Alvarado, testified he hired a contractor to build a garage and later learned from a survey that the contractor had set the building from a neighbor’s fence rather than the true property line. Alvarado said he believed the site reflected preexisting lot conditions and that measurements used during construction relied on an incorrectly located fence.
At the hearing, board members questioned whether the special circumstances were self‑created. County staff read the variance criteria to the applicant and noted the lot’s preexisting shape and the presence of additional front‑setback requirements for arterial roads that affected the measured setback. An adjacent neighbor, who provided a letter of support recorded in the file, asked for a six‑foot privacy fence and said the fence should shield dogs from seeing past the kennel.
A motion to approve the two variances passed with a condition requiring a six‑foot vinyl privacy fence to run from a point in front of the kennel to the rear of the garage (board discussion added ten additional feet of screening in front of the kennel to reduce visibility). The board’s recorded vote was three in favor, one opposed.
The board also discussed whether portions of the existing accessory structures predated the applicant’s work; testimony indicated parts of the structure were preexisting and that some improvements were recent. County staff confirmed a survey revised in March 2025 was submitted and discussed during the hearing. The applicant said he will work with his neighbor to finalize fence details.
The approval is limited to the variance and the fence condition; any required building or fence permits, inspections and final surveys must be completed with county staff before final clearance.
