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Jefferson County BZA unanimously approves use variance to replace aging mobile home in Milton Township
Summary
The Jefferson County Board of Zoning Appeals on April 7 approved a use variance allowing Susan Lawrence to replace a nearly 40-year-old mobile home at 5210 E. Pleasant Ridge Road with a same-size unit sited in the same location; septic re-use will be confirmed by the health department inspection.
The Jefferson County Board of Zoning Appeals on April 7 unanimously approved a use variance permitting Susan Lawrence to replace a forty-year-old mobile home at 5210 E. Pleasant Ridge Road in Milton Township.
Lawrence told the board the existing trailer has been on the parcel for more than four decades and now is recorded as a nonconforming structure under the UDO. She said the unit is “severely damaged by age,” with leaks and storm and animal-related damage, and that her son currently lives in the unit and assists her. Lawrence proposed removing the old trailer, hauling it away, and placing a new, same-size mobile home in the same location using the existing septic system.
President David Ferguson and other board members asked no substantive questions about siting or size. Building Inspector Josh Cline told the board that, if the variance is approved, the applicant would receive a letter from the health department after an inspection to confirm whether the existing septic is acceptable for reuse. Board member Fred Stilwell described the replacement as appropriate preventative maintenance.
The board read the five findings of fact required for a Use Variance — that approval will not be injurious to public health, that adjacent property values will not be substantially affected, that the need for the variance arises from conditions peculiar to the property, that strict application of the ordinance would cause unnecessary hardship, and that approval does not substantially interfere with the Comprehensive Plan — and recorded each finding as true by a 4–0 vote.
Kellen Cronen moved to approve the Use Variance; Fred Stilwell seconded. The Jefferson County Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously to approve the application, 4–0. The variance was approved with no additional conditions noted in the record.
The board also approved the meeting minutes from March 3, 2026 (motion by Jenny Beverly, second by Kellen Cronen), and adjourned. The minutes for the April 7 meeting were prepared by Taylor Baulac and marked approved May 6, 2026.
