Board of Zoning Appeals approves variance for accessible addition at 544 Power Dam Road

William D.S. Lee, chair of the Franklin County Board of Zoning Appeals, presided as the board approved a variance for Melissa and Aaron Tolliver to reduce the side-yard setback at 544 Power Dam Road to allow an accessible bedroom and bathroom addition.

Tina Franklin, Planner II for the Department of Planning & Community Development, told the board the property is roughly 0.46 acres in the A-1 Agricultural District and has 90.12 feet of road frontage, which under Section 25-182(b) requires a 10-foot minimum side setback. Franklin reported a discrepancy in the county GIS regarding the side property line and said the existing house was built in 1965 and sits approximately eight feet from the rear corner and about 6.8 feet from the front corner, with the septic system and drain field located behind the house. Those constraints, she said, limit where an addition can be built.

Franklin said the applicants seek a variance to reduce the setback by 3 feet 8 inches (from 10 feet to 6 feet 4 inches) to permit a 10-by-27-foot bedroom addition and an 8-by-26-foot covered entrance and ramp for ADA access. Staff recommended approval, finding the lot configuration and placement of the septic system create a hardship not caused by the owners and that the proposed addition would remain in line with the existing dwelling. Franklin summarized staff’s conditions for approval: build substantially in conformance with the conceptual plan prepared by Gabriel Robertson (dated Nov. 26, 2025); obtain required land‑use and building permits before construction; and provide at least a line survey before issuance of a certificate of completion showing the addition meets the approved variance.

Applicant Melissa Tolliver said she and her husband have lived on the property for more than 38 years and that the addition is needed because her husband uses a cane and faces an upcoming hip replacement, noting current bathrooms do not safely accommodate mobility devices. No members of the public spoke during the comment period.

Vice Chair Billy Kingery moved to grant the variance with the three staff-recommended conditions; Chair Lee seconded. The board approved the motion by roll call, six in favor, none opposed, with one member absent (Brian Mangano).

The board also approved the minutes of its Dec. 2, 2025 meeting and re-elected William D.S. Lee as chair and Billy Kingery as vice chair earlier in the session. The board adjourned at 6:16 p.m.