Athens BZA denies request to add four parking spaces at 46 N. Lancaster St.

The City of Athens Board of Zoning Appeals denied a request to add four parking spaces in front of a residential building at 46 North Lancaster Street during its Feb. 10 meeting.

The appellant, Bob Grevey, property manager and broker with Uptown Realty Group, told the board his company bought the property in 2025 and that adding two stalls on each side of the front yard would ease access for tenants, mail carriers and service personnel. "I measured and I literally would be 3 foot in front of the building," Grevey said, arguing the change would use only a small portion of the front yard and would improve safety and functionality for tenants.

Zoning staff described the request as a variance from ACC 23.0.8.01.b, which prohibits parking in front of structures in the applicable residential context; staff and board members discussed how rules differ between residential and business zones and reviewed the site’s history, including a prior variance that increased units when the building converted from a laundromat.

Board members split over whether the four‑space plan met the legal variance tests. Several members said the parcel’s geometry and existing parking configuration were unusual, but questioned whether granting four front‑yard stalls represented the "minimum variance" necessary. Concerns also were raised about removing green space and whether approving the request would set a precedent for similar conversions in town.

A motion to grant the requested variance failed on a 3–2 vote; the chair announced two in favor and three opposed and stated the variance was not granted.

The board closed the item after the vote; no further administrative actions were recorded for the case at the hearing.