Barnwell board approves setback variance allowing Wanda Buggs to build on small Turner Street lot

The City of Barnwell Board of Zoning Appeals on Aug. 26, 2024, voted by majority to grant a variance allowing applicant Wanda Buggs to construct a house on a small R‑15 lot on Turner Street with modified setbacks, the board’s written order shows.

Zoning Administrator Lynn McEwen told the board that the lot is just over 5,000 square feet and that the R‑15 zoning requires 10‑foot side yards, a 20‑foot front yard and a 30‑foot rear yard. McEwen said Buggs owns an offset rear parcel that provides a full 30‑foot rear setback for about three‑quarters of the property, but one corner adjacent to neighbor Betty Ann Newton‑Hill’s easement measures about 23 feet (with the corner close to an easement at roughly 5 feet). McEwen presented maps and photos and confirmed required neighbor notices and a newspaper posting.

Buggs acknowledged she understood that building with smaller setbacks would limit what could be done on the adjacent parcel and said the water department had advised the house would need to be at least 10 feet from the road to accommodate an extended water service line. Several nearby property owners either submitted letters or spoke in support: Betty Ann Newton‑Hill wrote she had "no issue" with the placement, Herman Harley and family (Lebby Street) and Mary Ann Bishop Frank (84 Turner St.) expressed no objection, and Sara Carter said she hopes Buggs will "bring back some life on the street" by building a home there.

Board members discussed moving the house closer to the road so the front setback would mirror existing, "grandfathered" houses on Turner Street and would free space at the rear near an easement. Board member Linda Knapp said she did not object to the proposed rear or front setback adjustments, noting she has similarly limited yard space at her property in town.

The board’s written order (dated Aug. 26, 2024) grants the variance with conditions that include centering the house to accommodate the water department and builder and setting the side yard setbacks at 10 feet; the order specifies moving the house forward so the front setback is approximately 10–13 feet. The order was approved by the chairman, mailed to parties on Sept. 4, 2024, and notes that a notice of appeal to the Circuit Court must be filed within 30 days after the mailing date.

The ruling does not identify a mover, a seconder, or a roll‑call vote tally in the minutes; the written order records the decision as approved by majority vote. The board referenced Section 4‑102 of the zoning ordinance when applying variance standards. No formal amendments to the motion were recorded.

Next steps: the variance is effective as ordered, subject to the 30‑day appeal window starting from the mailing date. If appealed, the matter would proceed to the Circuit Court as provided by law.