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Alpharetta zoning board approves rear-setback variance for deck at 3235 Brierfield Road
Summary
The City of Alpharetta Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance reducing the Briarfield subdivision rear setback from 30 feet to 15 feet to permit conversion and extension of an existing deck at 3235 Brierfield Road, with one condition; staff noted the lot's unusual shape and prior nonconforming deck.
At its 5:30 p.m. meeting, the City of Alpharetta Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance to reduce the Briarfield subdivision rear setback from 30 feet to 15 feet for a deck expansion at 3235 Brierfield Road.
Staff said the variance would allow an existing elevated deck, built with the house in 2001, to be converted to a screened porch and extended with a 16-by-14 grilling deck that would maintain a 15-foot rear setback. Mr. Woodman, planning staff, told the board the deck already legally exists as a nonconforming structure that currently encroaches 13 feet into the 30-foot subdivision rear setback; the proposed work would add about 2 feet of additional encroachment relative to the subdivision requirement.
The property is zoned R-15, is about one-third of an acre, and is developed with a roughly 2,600-square-foot two-story single-family home, Mr. Woodman said. He said the Briarfield subdivision plat requires a 30-foot rear setback while the R-15 zoning standard is 25 feet; the subdivision plat governs here. Staff said they found at least five prior setback variances in the Briarfield neighborhood and recommended approval subject to one condition. The recorded transcript cuts off the full text of that condition; the record available to this article states only: "Screen porch and deck extension shall be permitted as" (condition text not specified in the transcript).
Andrew Moore, the contractor for the homeowners Jim and Michelle Connolly, told the board he agreed with the staff report and answered technical questions about the work. When asked by a board member whether a large tree behind the house would be affected, Moore said the tree was several feet away and "it's not gonna be affected," and that the project has a land-disturbance permit with a tree-save area. He said the new structure will use new footings and larger posts than the existing deck.
A board member moved to approve the variance with the stated condition; another board member seconded. The chair called the question and recorded the outcome as approved: "All in favor? None opposed," and congratulated the applicants. The transcript records that the board had a quorum and that one member was absent, but it does not list individual vote names or a numerical roll-call tally.
No other public comment or contested opposition was recorded on this item. The board adjourned at 5:44 p.m.
Why it matters: The approval formalizes a reduced rear-yard buffer on a Briarfield lot and continues a pattern staff identified of previously approved variances in the neighborhood, which board members and neighbors may cite in future setback requests.
