BZA Grants Variance for Corner‑Lot Carport at 1401 Jackson Avenue

The Florence Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance Tuesday to allow a carport on the corner lot at 1401 Jackson Avenue that does not meet the street‑side setback normally required in the Neighborhood Conservation 15 district. Douglas Coleman, owner and applicant, testified under oath that the carport will be 12 feet by 20 feet and described it as a standalone metal structure with four posts and a roof.

City staff told the board the house was built in 1953 and the lot’s corner configuration and driveway location create a practical constraint: interior lots must meet a 3‑foot side setback, but corner lots are required to meet a 10‑foot street‑side setback. Staff said the carport would be located over an existing driveway, would not interfere with sight lines at the intersection, and would be buffered from the road by a landscaped island with mature trees.

During the hearing a board member (who recited the findings of fact on the record) cited the Unified Development Ordinance criteria for granting a variance: unnecessary hardship arising from the property’s configuration, that the spirit of the UDO would be preserved and public safety secured, the existence of unique conditions of the parcel, and that granting the variance would not substantially detract from adjacent properties or the character of the district. The board moved to approve the variance, members responded in the affirmative, and the chair announced the motion carries.

Coleman told the board only one nearby neighbor had asked about the proposal and that the carport would still allow enough room in the driveway for another vehicle to pass. If the variance is allowed, the applicant must still apply for and receive a building permit for the carport.