BZA approves use variance to let Walker’s Chapel be reused as a photography studio

The Monroe County Board of Zoning Appeals voted 5‑0 to approve a personal‑services use variance (VAR‑25‑41) permitting a photography studio at Walker’s Chapel, an underused chapel on Rockport Road adjacent to Walker’s Chapel Cemetery.

Planning staff characterized the property as zoned Residential‑1 and noted the Comprehensive Plan designates the area for low‑density residential use; staff said the petitioner had not demonstrated all five findings that typically guide staff support for a use variance and recommended denial. Petitioner representatives, including attorney Jim Borer and members of the Walker’s Chapel Cemetery Association, argued the chapel and cemetery predate the zoning ordinance, the building is vacant and deteriorating, and a low‑impact studio tenant would generate revenue to maintain the cemetery and preserve the historic structure. They also said living‑in or converting the chapel to a residence would be more destructive to the building’s historic character than adaptive reuse as a studio.

Board members who supported the petition noted the building’s historic character, the owner’s limited resources to maintain it, and that the proposed use is a low‑impact, intermittent one that would produce funds for cemetery upkeep. Several members also detailed a path staff had outlined: rezone to an historic preservation overlay and pursue a historic adaptive‑reuse conditional use. The petitioner said the community needed a faster, viable reuse and that a variance to personal services would achieve preservation sooner.

Outcome and next steps: The board approved the personal‑services use variance 5‑0. Staff and the petitioner will proceed to follow‑up site‑plan steps and any building‑permit processes required for the conversion.