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Liberty County denies variance for Sterling Traditions subdivision after fire‑safety concerns
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Summary
Commissioners denied a request from Davidson Homes to allow 31‑foot lots with 3‑foot side setbacks in the Sterling Traditions development, citing fire‑department access and safety concerns raised by the county fire marshal; the builder said mitigations such as sprinklers and fire‑rated materials could reduce risk.
The Liberty County Commissioners Court voted to deny a variance request from Davidson Homes that would have allowed 31‑foot‑wide lots with 24‑foot homes and a reduction of the side‑yard setback from 5 feet to 3 feet in the Sterling Traditions subdivision.
Fire Marshal Nathan told the court he had “serious concerns as far as the ability of the fire departments to be able to respond to calls and actually work a scene with the houses being so close,” saying a six‑foot separation between houses is not workable for ladder and roof operations. Davidson Homes representatives said the product has worked in some Texas cities and proposed building‑method mitigations such as alternating setbacks, fire‑rated wall assemblies and automatic sprinklers in each home.
Commissioners stressed safety and the precedent a 31‑foot lot standard would set for county subdivisions. One commissioner said the county is not a city and that shrinking lots to that width “is gonna be presented problems.” After discussion of possible conditions, a motion by the court moved to deny the variance; the motion carried and the variance request was denied.
Davidson Homes said it is willing to work with the fire marshal on specifications and noted similar products have been used elsewhere, but it did not secure approval at this hearing. The court did not adopt any conditional variance or specify additional studies; the denial leaves the developer to return with revised plans or meet ordinary zoning and setback rules.
Next steps: The developer can revise submittals and return to the court with additional specifications or mitigation measures if it wishes to pursue a conditional variance or a change to county standards.
