Board denies one variance and approves others on mixed permit/accountability record

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 4 issued mixed rulings on several variance requests.

Variance P25-0047 (Stanley and Gail Goolsby) was denied. Staff had recommended denial because the hardship appeared to have been created by the property owner when an accessory metal structure was constructed without required permits and the application did not demonstrate why setback requirements could not be met. Neighbors testified about multiple unpermitted structures and alleged encroachment and property-value impacts. The applicant’s representatives said a deck permit had been obtained after a stop-work order and that the metal building was intended as storage to aid a 75-year-old homeowner. Commissioners voted to deny the variance, citing staff findings.

Variance P25-0133 (Timaeus Barbecue) — a request to reduce required off-street parking from 73 to 34 spaces to add an outdoor seating area — was approved with seven conditions. The applicant said only about 2,200 of the building’s 3,078 square feet are actively used for dining and kitchen, and staff noted conditions including limits on the outdoor seating area size, no amplified sound, no outside events, and a requirement to build an enclosed cooking area within six months if approval is granted; a temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO) was in place for the outdoor seating until variance action.

Variances P25-0183 (Marvin & Felina Gross — guest house in front yard) and P25-0184 (Drew & Sterling Joyner — accessory building over 144 sq ft in front yard) were both approved with conditions as recommended by staff.

The Goolsby denial highlights code-enforcement issues: staff emphasized that permits are required, the stop-work order was posted after a complaint, and the variance application did not show a qualifying hardship. In approval motions, commissioners attached the staff-recommended conditions and recorded the votes as 'Aye.'