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Punta Gorda board tables pool‑setback variance near seawall, asks for site‑specific engineering study
Summary
The board paused a homeowner’s request to build a pool 6.5 feet from the seawall (requested variance from 20‑foot setback), voting to table the application pending a site‑specific engineering analysis after staff and the city engineer raised seawall integrity concerns; the applicants cited an ADA need for home therapy.
The Punta Gorda Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday voted unanimously to table a variance request from Lawrence and Shantel Hopkins that would place an in‑ground pool and enclosure substantially closer to a seawall than Punta Gorda’s 20‑foot setback requires.
Rachel Berry, zoning official for the record, told the board the applicants had reduced their initial request and were now seeking a 13.5‑foot reduction to allow the pool cage to sit 6.5 feet from the seawall rather than the 20 feet required under Punta Gorda code chapter 26, section 16.1.
Berry said staff remained concerned about seawall integrity and noted three of the variance approval criteria had not been definitively satisfied, including whether the reduction would be detrimental to public welfare and whether the…
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