Board of Adjustments approves variance for addition at 1010 Seabreeze Avenue

The Jacksonville Beach Board of Adjustments approved variance BOA 25-100020 at its meeting to allow a front-yard setback of 16 feet in lieu of the 20-foot minimum for an addition at 1010 Seabreeze Avenue. Applicant James Smith said the change would permit an approximately 800-square-foot addition — including a 12-foot garage replacing an 8-foot carport and roughly 600 square feet of new upstairs bedroom space — without substantially altering the house's appearance.

Smith, who was sworn in before presenting, described the lot as a corner parcel with the house oriented toward Seabreeze while the front yard is legally considered to be on Poling Street. He told the board the lot orientation and the house's asymmetrical A-frame design limit where an addition can be located, calling those factors the hardship that supports the variance. "We looked at a lot of different options and what we really loved most was the fact that the house is incredibly unique," Smith said, asking the board to approve what he described as "a relatively small and, we think, incredibly efficient variance application."

Board members asked about neighborhood support and a staff observation about pavers near the rear pool area. Smith said neighbors, including adjacent homeowners Randy and Carol Eggers, back the proposal. He also said he had removed pavers near the property line and pulled them back roughly 4 feet 10 inches to create a garden area; the plans show lot coverage of about 47 percent.

After discussion, a board member moved to approve the variance "based on the substantial competent evidence presented in the staff report and all relevant testimony" and citing standards in section 34-572 of the Jacksonville Beach Land Development Code. Another member moved to amend the motion so the variance would be attached to the existing structure and to the plans as submitted — a limitation intended to prevent the variance from automatically applying to a different future structure on the lot. The amendment was seconded, the board voted in favor of the amendment, and the final motion (as amended) carried.

A roll-call vote was recorded for the amendment and final approval; the votes were read aloud and the chair announced the request had been approved with the amendment. Planning staff told the board its next meeting will be April 21 and noted an upcoming training for staff and board members.

The board took no public testimony on the item; no speaker cards were submitted. The approved variance is recorded as BOA 25-100020 and, per the board's action, is tied to the existing structure and the submitted plans.