Board of Adjustments approves rear-yard setback variance at 608 Fifteenth Avenue South

The Jacksonville Beach Board of Adjustments approved a variance to allow a 20-foot rear-yard setback instead of the 30-foot minimum at 608 Fifteenth Avenue South, enabling the homeowner to extend the rear of the dwelling to create a master bedroom.

The board said the request met the standards for a variance under the Jacksonville Beach Land Development Code and cited the lot's configuration and existing nonconformities as limiting factors.

Homeowner Laurie Dugan testified she is seeking space for an additional bedroom after her adult son moved back home. "I need another bedroom. I just don't have one for him," Dugan said, explaining the addition would be the smallest, least invasive option and that the rear elevation would include no windows looking out to neighboring yards. Dugan told the board she has lived at the property for eight years.

A neighboring resident, Bonnie Hoyle of 531 Sixteenth Avenue South, spoke in opposition and raised drainage concerns. "My only opposition on this is drainage," Hoyle said, saying Sixth Street and Sixteenth Avenue South have historically had drainage problems and asking how runoff would be managed after construction.

Board members and staff noted features of the lot that distinguish it from typical parcels in the district: it is a corner lot with an existing nonconforming structure and a 10-foot easement along the rear. A board member said those constraints, along with a sidewalk that extends well into the front yard, limit options for adding space to the house without further encroaching on required setbacks.

The board's discussion specified that drainage and lot coverage issues remain subject to the building department and that the variance request itself does not change code requirements for lot coverage. A board member noted, "The drainage as outlined in the code is specific to a 50% lot coverage. The applicant would remain below that lot coverage from a drainage perspective."

A motion to approve BOA25-100080 was made and seconded; the motion referenced the staff report and testimony presented and cited section 34-572 of the Jacksonville Beach Land Development Code as the standard for variances. The roll-call vote recorded affirmative votes and the board approved the variance.

The approval permits the rear addition as presented; building permits and any required drainage or lot-coverage inspections will be handled by the building department during review and construction permitting.