Board approves Cole & Lee variance to repair, expand sunroom and deck in Hollywood Shores

St. Mary’s County’s Board of Appeals on July 9 approved VAAP26-0633, a variance allowing repair and expansion of a sunroom, a roughly 452-square-foot deck and porch conversion at the property identified in staff materials as belonging to Timothy Cole and Minh (Minh Le/Lee). The board voted unanimously to grant the variance after hearing details from the applicant and staff.

Applicant Minh Le, who identified himself as a licensed professional architect and as one of the owners, described structural failures in a carport addition, corroded deck joist hangers and a sloped sunroom floor that required demolition and rebuilding to meet current codes. Le said the sunroom extension would be achieved via a cantilever so the building footprint would not expand, and he described plans to remove a solid concrete driveway (about 685 square feet) and replace it with a pervious surface and native plantings.

Staff told the board the Critical Area Commission responded on April 22, 2026, noting no new lawn or turf is allowed within the buffer and that the applicant must stabilize the footprint in native vegetation. Staff also recorded mitigation at a 3-to-1 ratio and listed the applicant’s planned plantings totaling about 3,162 square feet. Deputy County Attorney John Sterling Hauser clarified that Chapter 2-36 (the county livability code) does not apply to owner-occupied residential property in the same way it would for rental dwellings, and he explained how MDIA (the county’s third-party inspection provider) had performed inspections during prior renovations.

Rita Weaver moved to approve VAAP26-0633, finding the variance standards met; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously. As with the first case, staff will prepare a written order for signature within 60 days, after which a 30-day appeal period applies.