Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Shared Easement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board allows family subdivision served by historic 20‑ft easement, waiving 60‑ft requirement
Summary
The board unanimously approved a variance to allow five additional homes to share an existing 20‑foot access easement rather than building a new 60‑ft shared access, based on the road's long history and the family's plan for 2‑acre lots; the board discussed emergency access and turn‑around needs.
The Cherokee County Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5–0 to permit the Croft family to subdivide a tract adjacent to Hickory Flat Highway and serve five additional two‑acre lots using an existing, historic 20‑foot shared access easement rather than constructing a new 60‑foot access easement to current county standards.
Staff told the board the shared driveway predates 1955, already provides access to four homes and is paved in places, and that the applicant seeks relief from Article 5 provisions requiring private streets or shared easements to be 60 feet wide when serving minor subdivisions. Jim Hubbard, representing the Croft family, said the application is a family division to allow relatives to build homes on 2‑acre lots and that requiring $100,000+ of road improvements would be unduly burdensome. "Our goal here tonight is to not require the Croft family to make $100,000 or more in road improvements to put a couple more houses down this existing road," Hubbard told the board.
Neighbors asked whether the subdivision would require new turn lanes or affect an adjacent business’ parking; the applicant said no turn‑lane work was proposed and that planned broader traffic improvements (a signal at Stringer Road) are separate projects. A board member asked staff to consider a hammerhead turnaround for emergency apparatus; staff said they would follow up with emergency‑services feedback if needed. The board approved the variance and noted the family’s lots meet two‑acre minimum sizing and that utilities and emergency access remain points for engineering review during permit processing.
The board’s action preserves a family subdivision pattern while directing staff to address technical details (fire access, water/hydrant availability) during the permitting stage.
