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Commission denies front‑setback variance for Bears Bend lot; approves routine agreements and extensions
Summary
The board denied Variance VAR25‑23 (front‑setback reduction) after neighbors and staff argued precedent and adherence to plat setbacks; the meeting also approved multiple routine items including a 12‑month extension for a rezoning condition, a park power easement, a road‑work bid and several service agreements.
The Coweta County Board of Commissioners voted to deny a requested front‑setback variance (VAR25‑23) for Lot 1 of Bears Bend subdivision and approved a slate of routine administrative actions on Dec. 16.
Zoning staff told the board the applicants, Scott and Kimberly Securo, sought a reduction of the required 300‑foot front setback to allow a house roughly 200 feet from Bear Creek Road on a roughly 7.298‑acre lot. Staff noted the final plat recorded in June 2023 established the 300‑foot setback for the estate‑lot‑averaging development; the Board of Zoning Appeals had recommended denial (4–0) at an earlier hearing. The board voted to deny the variance; the chair announced the motion carried 4–1.
Applicant Scott Securo said he had reduced earlier requests to find a compromise and described the topography as a hardship for siting a house at the required setback. "I've tried to compromise and make it so it's a done deal," Securo told the board. Neighbors, including Susan Bowen and Phil Towne, said granting the variance would set a precedent and could allow additional lots to be developed closer to the road in ways that would change neighborhood character.
The board also approved staff recommendations and routine items: a 12‑month extension for condition 7 of a previously approved rezoning (REZ24‑10) to allow time for plan resubmittal and review; execution of an easement and agreement with Georgia Power to expand electrical service for Leroy Johnson Park; a low‑bid award of $753,758.50 to Southeastern Site Development for a left‑turn lane and sight‑distance improvements on Tommy Lee Cook Road (largely reimbursable by a developer); and a 12‑month natural‑gas contract with True Natural Gas at $0.479 per therm for 2026. The board also approved election qualifying fees for 2026, a temporary road closure for pipe replacement on Martin Mill Road, and a request to waive landfill fees for the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The meeting concluded after public comments not on the agenda and a short executive‑session action; the board returned to regular session and adjourned.
