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Planning board allows limited rental at 1527 Front Street, keeping two units family-only
Summary
The Beaufort Planning Board amended an existing special use permit condition at 1527 Front Street so the larger accessory dwelling unit in the rear may be rented while the principal dwelling and the smallest accessory structure remain reserved for family use; the motion followed discussion about parking and neighborhood impacts and passed by voice vote.
The Beaufort Planning Board approved a modification to a condition on a previously issued special use permit at 1527 Front Street that had limited accessory dwelling units to family-only occupancy.
Planning staff reviewed the property history: the permit was approved by the commissioners in 2019 and signed in 2021 with a condition limiting accessory structures to family use. Staff told the board the property contains a primary 1950-era single-family structure and two accessory structures built after the permit was granted; the accessory structures had been used by family members but were listed for rent on public websites, prompting code-enforcement attention and the current request to amend the condition to allow rental use.
Albert Hike, general manager for Southern Living Homes and applicant representative, said the family has not been using the accessory structures and that the owner seeks limited short-term rentals targeted at traveling nurses or similar tenants, emphasizing that parking for those units is to the rear. Hike said the owner's preference would be to keep the front/main house reserved for family use.
Board members and counsel debated neighborhood parking and the practical enforceability of different restrictions. One board member said allowing rentals in the back structure while reserving the main house and the smallest accessory structure for family use could reduce on-street parking impacts; several members called the arrangement a reasonable compromise. The applicant offered to keep the main house and the smallest accessory structure for family use and allow the middle, larger accessory dwelling to be rented.
A motion passed to approve the application with that condition: principal dwelling and the smallest accessory dwelling reserved for family use; the larger accessory dwelling in the rear may be rented to non-family. The board noted code-enforcement and police are available avenues for enforcement and that neighbors will have an opportunity to present testimony at the commissioners' quasi-judicial hearing if they choose.
Staff also flagged a possible impervious-surface discrepancy in photographic material provided and said staff will follow up.
Ending: The planning board's conditional recommendation will be transmitted to the Board of Commissioners for the formal review and any further action.
