Commission approves two variances, sends Fort Meade Way plat back to planning

The Meade County Board of Commissioners approved two variances under ordinance 34 and referred a separate right-of-way dedication back to the planning department for corrected notice and further review.

At a public hearing, planning staff presented Ordinance 34, Article 2-1-11-4, to permit additional structures on a platted parcel for a tiny-homes project. Staff said the applicant had obtained a certified water-right application and met the ordinance’s conditions. After commissioners asked about client handling and safety protocols, a motion to grant the variance passed by voice vote.

A second variance request asked that a landowner be allowed to build a new structure while continuing to occupy the existing home until a certificate of occupancy is issued; staff noted coordination with Pennington County because the property sits on the Meade–Pennington line. Commissioners approved the second variance with conditions requiring proper demolition or moving permits at occupancy.

A related item involving dedication of an additional 10 feet of right-of-way along Fort Meade Way and a 66-foot access alignment was pulled from the consent calendar after staff and planning found the mailed notice used the wrong landowner name. Planning staff and some commissioners raised questions about the related section-line vacation (which planning had previously voted against). The commission voted to refer the Fort Meade Way preliminary plat and right-of-way dedication back to planning so notices and the plat can be corrected and the process restarted.

All three actions were taken in public session and recorded on the meeting agenda; motions to grant the variances and to refer the Fort Meade Way item to planning carried by commission vote.