Glynn County planning panel grants variance to rebuild rear porch at 1522 Ocean Boulevard

The Glynn County Planning Commission on Monday approved a variance allowing reconstruction of a rear porch at 1522 Ocean Boulevard on St. Simons Island.

Maurice Postal of Glynn County Community Development told the commission the owner is seeking to reduce the rear setback from 15 feet to 9.5 feet and the side setback from 15 feet to 10 feet to replace a damaged rear porch. Postal said a May 2022 survey showed a prior rear porch touched the rear property line and that the townhouse was built in 1984, when 7-foot setbacks were in force.

Owner Scott Grambling told the commission the work is a repair and replacement of a rotten overhang, not a new encroachment. "The rear border of the replacement porch, it's truly a repair," Grambling said, describing rot and flashing problems that prompted the work.

Agent and architect Darby McCluskey said the proposed porch will match the footprint of the previous porch and that a 22-foot garden easement shown on older plats remains in place; McCluskey said the new construction does not intrude into that easement.

Commissioners questioned whether replacement of a covered porch and a usable second-floor deck could later be converted to living space. The building department advised the board that the variance is required because the prior porch was removed and rebuilding the structure requires approval given current setback rules.

After deliberation on precedent and hardship — including testimony the owner acquired 10.1 feet of additional rear property earlier this year — an unidentified commissioner moved to approve ZV-24171522 and the board voted in favor. No roll-call tally was recorded in the hearing record.

The approved variance allows the owner to rebuild the porch with the reduced setbacks described in staff materials. The meeting record notes the decision was made at the hearing; no appeal or additional conditions were recorded at the time of the vote.