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Board permits Donna Lloyd’s interior‑design home occupation with showroom, limits client visits
Summary
The North Augusta Board of Zoning Appeals approved a special exception for Donna Lloyd to operate an interior‑design service with a showroom at 908 Fairfield Avenue, imposing conditions including a 10‑trip‑per‑day limit, appointment‑only visits, no signage beyond code allowances and no on‑site deliveries of purchased items.
The North Augusta Board of Zoning Appeals on June 2 granted a special exception allowing Donna Lloyd to operate an interior‑design and showroom business from an accessory structure at 908 Fairfield Avenue, subject to several conditions intended to limit neighborhood impacts.
Stacy Clark, planning staff, said Lloyd’s application describes a showroom in an existing accessory structure at the rear of the property and noted photographs of the showroom and sample work were included in the staff packet. Clark said staff recommended conditions consistent with home‑occupation standards in the North Augusta Development Code.
Lloyd, sworn before the board, said she mainly visits clients in their homes but maintains a small showroom and software she can use to present designs. "I'm getting closer and closer to retirement age...I'm trying to find something that I can do to be able to maintain my level of living and still do something that I enjoy doing," Lloyd said. She told the board she does not plan to use exterior signage and estimated "three to four" clients on days she is open.
Neighbor Steve Zimmerman said he opposed additional businesses in the residential area and voiced concern about incremental traffic from client visits. Board members discussed parking and whether to limit the number of clients or daily business trips and proposed an explicit condition to address the issue.
The board voted to grant the special exception with these conditions: limit business trips to 10 per day; no signage or advertising devices except as allowed by the development code; customer visits by appointment only and not to create excessive traffic or parking impacts; no outdoor display, storage, or sale of merchandise/furniture/decor/plants at the property; and no on‑site delivery of purchased items. The motion was seconded by London Smith and approved by voice vote.
The board directed that the approval and conditions be recorded with the Planning Department; any changes or expansion to the operation will require further review.
