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Lancaster County board grants setback variance for Whitestone homeowner’s riverfront steps and deck
Summary
The Lancaster County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance allowing Whitestone resident Lucy M. Bush (also known as Lucy Murphy) to build a small deck and waterfront access stairs with reduced setbacks after staff explained topography and neighbor consent; the board clarified building permits remain a separate step.
The Lancaster County Board of Zoning Appeals on an unnamed date approved a variance allowing Whitestone resident Lucy M. Bush (also known as Lucy Murphy) to construct a narrow deck and waterfront access stairs that do not meet standard setback rules.
Planner Miss Pruitt told the board the applicant sought relief from Lancaster County Zoning Ordinance Article 5-3 (setback regulations) and Article 5-5-1 (yard/side-yard requirements). The request included a reduced road-centerline setback from the standard 75 feet to roughly 45 feet from the center line of River Bluff Road (VSH 640) and reduced side-yard distances down to approximately 2 inches on one side and about 4.83 feet on the other to permit a deck and waterfront stairs. Miss Pruitt said the subject parcel (Tax Map 34-304, District 3) is a narrow, steep strip of land on the bluffs of the Rappahannock River, created before the Chesapeake Bay Act and taxed separately from the primary residence.
The applicant, Lucy M. Bush, described the physical challenges of her property and personal accessibility needs. “I’ve had a hip replacement, and I’m probably looking at a second one,” Bush said, explaining that the deck and stairs would provide safer, easier access down the bluff and a modest recreational space for birdwatching and painting. She told the board she had worked with staff and had tried to design the improvements to be unobtrusive to neighbors.
Miss Pruitt told the board the proposed northern deck footprint would avoid increasing encroachment into the 100-foot regulated protective area (RPA) along the river and that the applicant had contacted immediately adjacent neighbors and obtained their approval. “To date, there have been no additional public comments received regarding this variance request,” Miss Pruitt said.
A motion to approve the variance passed after brief discussion; no board members voiced opposition on the record. The chair congratulated the applicant and explained that the variance is separate from building permits, which the applicant must still obtain. Board members and staff noted the applicant could wait to pull the building permit until she is ready; one board member said, uncertainly, that permits are typically valid for about six months.
Votes at a glance: - Motion to approve minutes (procedural): motion and second recorded; board voted in favor on the record. - Variance for 373 River Bluff Road (Tax Map 34-304): motion to approve passed with no recorded opposition.
What happens next: The applicant may apply for a building permit; staff advised she can wait until her contractor is ready. The board also noted a postponed appeal has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 22 and checked member availability before adjourning.
Lancaster County Zoning Ordinance references and related rules were raised during the hearing; the Chesapeake Bay Act and RPA buffer were discussed as contextual constraints on siting the decks and stairs.
