Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Smyth County BZA elects 2015 officers, approves two variances including Bethel Baptist porch
Summary
The Smyth County Board of Zoning Appeals elected officers and adopted operating procedures at its January meeting, and later unanimously approved two variances: one allowing a long-standing manufactured-home lot to be deeded with conditions, and one permitting a covered porch and ADA ramp for Bethel Baptist Church with a 35-foot setback from Laurel Valley Road.
Smyth County — The Smyth County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) completed its 2015 organizational business in January and granted two property-variance requests in hearings held June 23 and August 4, the minutes show.
At its January 6 meeting the board elected its officers for the calendar year. John Saunders was elected chairman; Newell Johnson was elected vice chairman; and John DeBusk III was elected secretary. The board also adopted its Operating Procedures on a unanimous vote and set the 2015 meeting calendar for the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. when an application is filed, otherwise scheduling the next meeting for Jan. 5, 2016.
The board heard a variance application June 23 from Dorothy Robinson and Penny McCarty. Penny McCarty told the board she placed a doublewide manufactured home on her parents’ property about 30 years ago and that her mother wished to deed the lot to her; a recent survey showed the created lot would not meet current minimum lot-size requirements. County staff member Clegg Williams explained that many older "small lot subdivisions" predate zoning and said the home met current setback requirements. Williams recommended, and the board required as a condition of approval, that the parties vacate the existing interior property lines through the county’s deed-of-vacation process. The motion to approve the variance was made by Kim Davidson, seconded by Erwin Rowland, and carried unanimously; no citizens spoke in opposition during the public hearing.
On Aug. 4 the board considered a variance request from Bethel Baptist Church. Pastor Jerry Fritz described recent restroom and remodeling work and said a building-code-required landing and ADA ramp would fit better with a covered porch the congregation preferred. Staff noted the parcel’s constraints, including a location within the floodplain and proximity to VDOT right-of-way. After discussion the board approved the variance, with an amendment (offered on the record and adopted by the board) citing Section 7-2.3 of the Zoning Ordinance and requiring the proposed porch be located no less than 35 feet from the centerline of Laurel Valley Road. The amended motion was carried unanimously.
Votes at a glance
- Appointment of Vice Chairman (Jan. 6): Newell Johnson elected (motion by John Saunders; second by Kim Davidson); unanimous. - Appointment of Secretary (Jan. 6): John DeBusk III elected (motion by Newell Johnson; second by Kim Davidson); unanimous. - Adoption of Operating Procedures (Jan. 6): adopted (motion by Robert Shults; second by Kim Davidson); unanimous. - Variance — Dorothy Robinson & Penny McCarty (June 23): approved with condition to vacate interior lot lines (motion by Kim Davidson; second by Erwin Rowland); unanimous. - Variance — Bethel Baptist Church (Aug. 4): approved; amended to require porch sit no less than 35 feet from centerline of Laurel Valley Road and to note conformity with Section 7-2.3 of the Zoning Ordinance (motion by Erwin Rowland; second by Newell Johnson); unanimous.
The minutes state that some votes may appear out of order because the minutes are recorded as the agenda was presented. The board recorded staff presence (Clegg Williams and Becca Crease/Creacy in the minutes) and noted that public notice had been published and that no citizens spoke in opposition to the two variances.
The board adjourned each meeting shortly after the public hearings; the June 23 session ended about 5:50 p.m. and the Aug. 4 meeting concluded about 6:04 p.m.
