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Board approves variance allowing small front/critical-line encroachment at 9 Club Cottage Lane
Summary
The Kiawah Island Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance for 9 Club Cottage Lane that allows about 96 sq ft of additional encroachment into setback areas for a planned renovation, subject to a post-construction as‑built survey to verify the work matches approved plans.
The Kiawah Island Board of Zoning Appeals voted 6–0 to grant a variance for 9 Club Cottage Lane, allowing roughly 96 square feet of additional encroachment into required setback areas for a renovation that will enclose a porch and add a second floor. Planning staff presented the case (BZA26‑000008) and recommended approval with one condition: submission of a post‑construction as‑built survey to verify encroachments.
Planning staff member John told the board the subject lot is approximately 14,800 square feet with about 17,500 square feet of marsh area and that portions of the existing house, built in 1993, are legally nonconforming and already encroach into Bureau of Coastal Management critical‑line setbacks. “The total existing encroachment is approximately 1,338 square feet, and the current lot coverage is approximately 24.6%,” John said during the staff presentation.
Mike Karamis, the project architect for the owners, said the survey was completed last fall and that most of the second‑floor addition will be cantilevered. “The majority of our addition work is cantilevered. They’re not touching the ground. The only part that’s touching the ground is the kitchen extension,” Karamis said, adding the family needs additional bedrooms.
Board members asked whether the work could be sited away from the critical line or placed on the rear of the house; the applicant said doing so would require major reconfiguration of the existing screen porch and site circulation. Members also noted concerns about shoreline recession but concluded the proposed change was minor and would not substantially harm neighboring properties.
A motion to approve the variance with staff conditions passed unanimously. The single condition reads that the applicant must submit an as‑built survey post‑construction to verify encroachments match the approved plans. The board closed the public portion with no speakers for or against the application.
Next steps: the applicant must obtain required building permits from the town and comply with the as‑built survey condition.
