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Coweta BZA recommends lot-width variance for Tanglewood Road parcel with condition to set house 185 feet back
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals recommended approval of variance 25-015 to reduce the minimum lot width at the front setback from 130 feet to 80 feet for a 6.42-acre parcel on Tanglewood Road, adding a condition that the house be sited no less than 185 feet from the Tanglewood right-of-way; the recommendation goes to the Board of Commissioners on Aug. 19, 2025.
The Coweta County Board of Zoning Appeals on June 26, 2025 recommended approval of variance petition 25-015 for a parcel in the Cedar Creek Farms development on Tanglewood Road, forwarding the matter to the Board of Commissioners for final action on Aug. 19, 2025.
Staff presented the request, saying the applicant, Sean Wedderburn, seeks relief from Article 23 (dimensional requirements) to reduce the required minimum lot width at the front setback from 130 feet to 80 feet for a roughly 6.42-acre flag lot. Staff told the board the site lies in the Cedar Creek Watershed Protection District and is constrained by a designated floodplain, surface drainage features and a doubled impervious-surface stream buffer (150 feet), which limit buildable locations and would otherwise require siting a home several hundred feet back into constrained areas.
Neighbors who signed in opposed the variance. William Rogers, who said he lives at 15 Tanglewood Road and would be the closest neighbor, told the board, “When we bought our property there, all you could do is put 1 house per lot,” and argued that approving the variance would contradict original subdivision expectations and could set an undesirable precedent. Raymond Walker, a resident of 18 Tanglewood Road for more than 40 years, said the area was designed for single-family homes and urged the board to uphold that character. Longtime resident Barry Bruton noted that original covenants called for houses to be set back about 100 feet from the road and urged the board to consider neighborhood character and the number of residents present in opposition.
The applicant and his representative responded that plans had been submitted to county zoning and building and that they were permitted to proceed; the applicant said the practical question was where a house could be safely placed on a lot constrained by creek and buffer features. County staff acknowledged the county had issued a permit in error for the house’s initial placement but emphasized that no concrete had been poured and that septic approval and suitable soils were in place for alternative placements.
After discussion about septic drain-field location, floodplain encroachment and the variation of existing front setbacks on Tanglewood Road, Board Member 3 moved to grant the variance with a compromise: the home must be situated approximately 185 feet from the outside of the Tanglewood Road right-of-way ("no less than 185 feet"). Board Member 7 seconded, and members voted by voice to recommend approval. The recommendation includes the condition that the minimum lot width at the front setback line be 80 feet as presented by staff, and that the house be sited no less than 185 feet from the right-of-way to avoid floodplain and drainage conflicts.
The board’s recommendation will be considered by the Coweta County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 19, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the same meeting room. The BZA record notes the county’s acknowledgement of a prior permit error, that no foundation concrete had been poured at the time of the hearing, and that septic approval had been obtained for a proposed system.
