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Board grants after‑the‑fact deck variances at 3415 Cliff Trail with conditions
Summary
The board granted an after‑the‑fact critical‑area variance and two general variances for decks at 3415 Cliff Trail, finding the pervious deck construction and proposed mitigation reduce lot coverage and provide for reforestation; approvals carried conditions requiring permits and completion of mitigation.
The Calvert County Board of Appeals on Sept. 5 approved after‑the‑fact variances to legalize decks built at 3415 Cliff Trail and to permit a 160‑square‑foot expansion.
Ron Litton, an architect representing owner Jeremy Campbell of JLT Homebuyers LLC, said the house sits on a very small, steep‑sloped lot that was created in 1925 and that the replacement and new deck elements are pervious and reduce net lot coverage by about 72 square feet compared with prior conditions. Litton said holding tanks were installed for sewage under health‑department permitting and that a buffer‑management and mitigation plan has been submitted to increase forest coverage on the lot.
Board members raised questions about cracking in adjacent concrete, structural integrity and whether after‑the‑fact construction met permit/inspection standards. Applicant representatives said structural elements (posts, joists and beams) are adequate and that permits will be processed; the applicant acknowledged the decks were built before final permits and said mitigation will be completed.
After closing the record, the board voted unanimously to grant the critical‑area variance with two conditions: required permits must be obtained and the mitigation plan completed. The related general variances to reduce front and side setbacks were also granted subject to permit and mitigation conditions. The board directed staff to include explicit findings of fact in the written order to justify the variances.
The applicant may need additional permit reviews by Planning & Zoning and inspections before final approval.
