Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Homeowner seeks rear-setback variance for backyard pool; neighbor objects at Hampton hearing
Summary
At the June 9 public hearing, homeowner Deon Smith asked the City of Hampton for Variance 26-0005 to allow a pool 21 ft from the rear property line instead of the 40-ft setback required under R2 zoning; a neighbor, Ernest Wilson, objected saying the pool would encroach and that the notice letter lacked a place for comment.
Homeowner Deon Smith requested a variance from the City of Hampton on June 9 so he may build a backyard pool closer to the rear property line than city code allows.
Staff described Variance 26-0005 for the property at 118 Rolling Meadows Court, noting R2 zoning requires a 40-foot rear setback for structures and that Mr. Smith is asking for the pool to sit roughly 21 feet from the rear line with the surrounding concrete deck about 18 feet from the line. Staff said the application included neighbor support letters from both adjacent side neighbors and that the rear neighbor had been sent notice by registered mail in keeping with the city's variance-notification procedures.
Speaking to the council, Deon Smith said he and his wife have lived in the house nearly two years, that placing the pool toward the front would be less desirable, and that a rear-yard pool would allow him to do water therapy as a disabled veteran without traveling to Decatur. "I can get the necessary exercise that I need being a disabled vet," Smith told the council.
Only one neighbor spoke in opposition. Ernest Wilson, who lives directly behind the property at 2121 Riverfront Ridge, said he believed the diagram showed the pool encroaching on his land and that he had not had sufficient direct contact from the applicant. "If his law says that he got to be 40 ft, then he should be 40 ft," Wilson said, adding concerns about noise and activities spilling onto his property and noting the notice letter did not provide a way for him to record his opinion.
The transcript records the public hearing and comments but does not include any council motion, vote or final decision on Variance 26-0005. The matter will remain pending any subsequent council action or formal vote.
