Board approves 0-foot side-yard variance at 1015 Bradley Drive for post‑tornado subdivision, ties approval to tornado-destruction condition

The Board of Zoning and Appeals on July 8 approved a variance reducing the required 20-foot side yard setback to 0 feet at 1015 Bradley Drive, allowing a new lot line to follow an existing shared wall so the building can be subdivided between co-owners. The board attached a condition that the approval apply to reconstruction tied to condominiums destroyed by a December 2023 tornado and directed staff to draft specific verbiage for the condition.

Planning staff recommended denial, saying the request did not meet variance standards because it was driven by a desired lot subdivision between co-owners rather than a unique physical hardship. Director Durham told the board the request "is not based on a hardship created by a unique physical characteristic of the property, but rather a desired lot subdivision between co-owners." Staff also noted the December 2023 tornado and a prior March 2025 variance that had allowed 0-foot separation between future structures; the current request was for a lot subdivision rather than reconstruction.

Applicants Craig Knowles and Robert Braswell, who co-own the parcel, told the board they want to convert the building from condominium ownership to private parcels to simplify business operations and allow expansion of local businesses. One applicant said the change "would greatly help 3 local businesses expand and thrive," and explained that the rebuilt facades would look the same from the street but that condominium ownership complicates financing, operations and future development.

Board members debated whether approving a 0-foot setback would create a precedent and whether similar situations exist in the industrial zone. Staff said condominiums in the city's RI zone are rare. Several members said they would approve a variance tied specifically to tornado-related reconstruction to reduce the risk of a broader precedent.

A motion to approve a 0-foot side yard setback conditioned on the fact that the reconstruction is related to condominiums destroyed by the tornado passed by voice vote. Board members instructed staff to draft the detailed condition language so that the approval would be tied to the tornado-destruction circumstance and, if appropriate, to the specific applicants today.

The record shows the board discussed the issue at length, including questions about whether the rebuilt structure will be physically tied to a new parcel, the number of units affected, and whether combining ownership or other legal arrangements could achieve the applicants' goals without a variance. Staff and applicants said the rebuilt structure would follow existing interior walls and that prior approvals had addressed separation between future structures. Planning staff said the item could be conditioned narrowly to limit future claims of a similar hardship elsewhere in the city.