Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission recommends variance allowing original 1995 awning to remain at 417 Hastings Place amid neighbor dispute
Summary
After a contested public hearing, the Planning Commission recommended approval of a variance to reduce side setbacks at 417 Hastings Place that will allow the original circa‑1995 awning to remain while requiring removal of a recent extension; testimony included the homeowner’s safety rationale and an adjacent neighbor’s allegations of unpermitted work and fence damage.
The Columbia County Planning Commission on May 7 recommended approval of a variance to reduce the side setback at 417 Hastings Place in Martinez, allowing the original portion of a carport installed around 1995 to remain while directing removal of the portion added earlier this year.
County planning staff presented the request as triggered by a complaint to code enforcement after the structure was extended closer to the property line. Staff said the preexisting structure predates available county permit records and recommended allowing the older awning to remain but requiring removal of last year’s addition and submittal of an easement/ stormwater agreement as applicable.
Applicant Tammy Pye spoke to the commission, saying she extended the covered area to provide a safer, contained outdoor play area for her two‑year‑old grandson and to store household items. “We spend a lot of time out there,” Pye said, describing a gutter system that drains to the driveway and submitting HOA paperwork she said supported the change.
Adjacent neighbor David Wordinger opposed the variance and told commissioners he had provided video and photographic evidence alleging unpermitted work, that the applicants removed 15 feet of his fence and later installed a different fence, and that the applicant failed to prove the original awning was permitted. “They didn’t seek a variance because they had hardship. They sought a variance because they got caught,” Wordinger said. He urged denial and removal of unpermitted structures from an easement.
Other neighbors, including Joe Mitchell and Lee Prim, spoke in support of the Pyes, citing neighborhood aesthetics and child safety. Mitchell said he supports the request and that the Pyes’ property enhances his property’s value; Prim emphasized safety for small children playing behind privacy gates.
After discussion, a commissioner moved for recommendation of approval with conditions consistent with staff’s suggestion — limited allowance for the original awning and removal of the recent addition within a set timeframe — and the motion carried.
Next steps: The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners for final action on May 19, 2026.
