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Council approves two commercial variances — liquor-store façade relief and Connors Road buffer reduction — with conditions
Summary
The council approved a variance for 113 Commons Way allowing existing stucco and stone to remain and permitting fiber-cement (Nichiha) for a new entrance (subject to façade, safety and parking conditions) and granted a landscaping-buffer reduction at 117 Connors Road in exchange for enhanced landscaping, a required landscape plan, and limiting permitted use to what the final parking supports. Both votes were 4–1.
During the Dec. 9 meeting the Villa Rica City Council considered two separate development-variance requests in Community Development.
113 Commons Way (VA-05-25): Staff recommended denial under the city’s four-sided-brick standard for presumptive liquor-store licenses because the ordinance seeks quality, durable façades. The applicant presented a structural-engineer hardship letter and said the existing building (a 2005 strip center) has stucco at an upper fascia and a stone water table that cannot feasibly be replaced with full brick without unstable structural impacts. Architect and contractor teams explained options: a full-brick retrofit would require extensive foundation and parking-lot work and could destabilize an internal roof/truss system; a Nichiha (fiber-cement) product would create a brick-like appearance with much less weight. Council members debated ordinance intent (quality and durability) and the precedent concern for future applicants. The council approved the variance 4–1 with four conditions: (1) all building and life-safety codes met; (2) the newly constructed entrance façade must be either full brick or the Nichiha product presented; (3) the existing stucco fascia and existing stone water table may remain; (4) parking lot restriping and final façade approval by community development prior to occupancy.
117 Connors Road (VA-06-25): The owner/developers (Gabrielle and Gary Smith) sought a landscaping-buffer reduction (20-foot buffer in one corner down to 5 feet) to maximize building footprint and parking needed to attract national retail tenants. Staff recommended denial for the east-side reduction to 5 feet but was amenable to a smaller reduction on the west side (10 to 8 feet). The applicants offered mitigation by increasing landscaping density elsewhere, committing to supply the full number of trees and shrubs required (even where buffers were reduced), and submitting a detailed landscape plan. Council conditioned approval on staff’s recommendations: applicant to provide required plant counts (or denser material), submit a detailed landscape plan for community-development approval prior to land disturbance, and accept that final building footprint and permitted commercial use will be limited to what parking supports. The motion carried 4–1.
In both cases council members emphasized the need to uphold the ordinance’s quality intent while recognizing practical hardships on pre-existing structures and constrained lots. Staff will review detailed plans required by the conditions before issuing permits or occupancy approvals.
