Planning commission approves Lester subdivision, grants variance for nonconforming frontage

The Tazewell County Planning Commission approved a subdivision request from Jonathan Lester and granted a variance from Sub-Division Ordinance 4-5-2 at its Oct. 13 meeting in Tazewell. The commission voted 4-0 to approve the split of a 30-acre tract so a parcel containing the family home can be sold to Lester's daughter; Members Eddie Pauley, Maggie Asbury and Charlie Hart were recorded as absent.

Director of County Engineering Kenneth Dunford Jr. told the commission the parcel is held in a company name and therefore did not qualify as a routine family subdivision under the ordinance; Engineering recommended approval with a variance because the lot does not front a state-maintained road and only a 20-foot right-of-way exists. "It was not a typical subdivision because the property was in the company's name," Dunford said during the presentation.

Jonathan Lester presented the request and said he wanted to divide the tract to sell the portion with the residence to his daughter. Member Robert "Bob" Moss made the motion to approve the subdivision; Member Darrell Addison seconded. The commission adopted the motion and variance by a 4-0 vote.

The action grants a specific exemption from Sub-Division Ordinance 4-5-2, which requires lots to abut a publicly dedicated street; the minutes record that the variance was granted to allow the parcel to be sold despite its frontage situation. The commission did not record any additional conditions or fees related to the approval in the minutes.

The commission's approval resolves the immediate property transaction question raised by Lester; the county engineering office will be the staff contact for the subdivision and any follow-up paperwork required by the ordinance or land-recording process.