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Sandy Springs board grants variance for Hunt Cliff Terrace addition to help longtime homeowners age in place
Summary
The Board of Appeals approved variance V25-39 allowing a roughly 417 sq ft addition to encroach up to 16 feet into a 40-foot rear setback at 215 Hunt Cliff Terrace, citing site constraints; approval included conditions limiting the encroachment and requiring conformity with the submitted site plan.
The Sandy Springs Board of Appeals on Nov. 5 approved a variance allowing a home addition at 215 Hunt Cliff Terrace to extend into the city's 40-foot rear setback.
Planner Laquita Williams told the board that staff recommended denial of V25-39 under development code section 6.1.0.2(b), concluding staff did not find an extraordinary hardship unique to the site. The proposed project would add roughly 417 square feet and extend about 16 feet into the required rear setback, Williams said.
Applicants Eileen and Philip Hayat told the board their project is a redesign of the master bedroom and laundry area intended to allow the couple to remain in their house as they age. "We're simply seniors who wanna remain where we are in Sandy Springs, age in place with a renovation that works," Eileen Niren said. She said the homeowners association and adjacent neighbors had reviewed and supported the plans and that no trees would be removed.
Board members asked about alternatives staff had suggested, including moving the addition to the eastern side of the lot. The applicants and supporters replied that alternatives would require a much larger remodeling footprint, removal of heritage trees and substantially higher costs.
After deliberation a board member moved to approve V25-39 with conditions that the development not encroach into the 40-foot rear setback by more than 16 feet and that construction be substantially similar to the site plan submitted to the community development department on Oct. 17, 2025. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
The variance carries conditions aligned with staff direction; any required septic or health-department approvals remain prerequisites for building permits. The board did not specify further deadlines for follow-up; permitting conditions will be enforced through the standard permitting review process.
