Board approves multiple driveway/curb‑cut variances after lengthy safety and notice debate

The Walton County Zoning Board of Adjustment approved driveway and curb‑cut variances on Dec. 15 for a property at 560 Waterview Cove after extended discussion about safety, public notice and whether the relevant streets are county‑maintained.

Dan Curry, the applicant, told the board he had paid contractors to install a semicircular (half‑moon) driveway and an additional side access and said the work was completed in early 2024. "One of my driveways is 14 foot, and the other 1 is 19 foot," Curry said during his testimony.

Neighbors pushed back. Joseph Copeland, who lives across the street, told the board that a vehicle backing out of the circle driveway hit a parked truck on Aug. 28 and provided an insurance claim number as evidence of an accident he said illustrated an ongoing safety hazard. "The accident provides competent, substantial evidence that the specific noncompliant access points create a proven safety hazard on a public road," Copeland told the board.

Board members and staff disagreed over what standard applied: the land development code, county public‑works policy adopted in 2024 that references a 24‑foot connection for some situations, or older plat‑based practices for corner lots. Staff said Oak Place and Cedar Place remain public rights of way by virtue of plat dedication but are privately maintained because the county had not accepted maintenance; that distinction shaped whether the public‑works driveway width policy applied.

After public comment and deliberation the board considered motions and an amendment that would eliminate a third curb cut or require operational restrictions. A motion to approve the driveway configuration as shown on the survey — including the semicircular drive and existing curb cuts with dimensions recorded on the survey — passed with at least one dissenting vote. The order will be drafted by staff and provided to the applicant; neighbors were told they have 30 days to file an appeal to circuit court if they choose.

The hearing also turned to broader questions of enforcement. Walton County Attorney Clint Atkinson told the board there is a gap in the county's process when a property owner seeks variance relief after a violation is known. He said planning staff will deliver final orders to code enforcement and the magistrate so that orders heard publicly here are tracked and enforcement steps are not lost in handoffs. "What we're gonna do after you enter your final order is that is going to be delivered by planning back to code and then to the magistrate at their next available hearing as an update that this matter was presented to the ZBOA to seek relief," Atkinson said.

The driveway decision resolves Curry's two‑item variance request at the hearing. The board also continued an unrelated Argyle cell‑tower item to the Jan. 29, 2025 CBA meeting earlier in the agenda.