Board grants contextual-setback relief for Franklin Pike corner lot, sets 40‑foot setback

The Metro Nashville Board of Zoning Appeals granted a contextual-setback variance for a corner lot on Franklin Pike Circle, setting the front setback at 40 feet for the corner parcel after concluding that the lot shape and the unusually deep setback on a neighboring home would leave an impractically small buildable area without relief.

Staff explained that the contextual street-setback measure could have required an approximately 70‑foot setback based on a neighboring residence but that a pending permit by the neighbor (a garage/carport) would create a 40‑foot contextual setback. Applicant counsel asked the board to resolve the appeal now because a building permit for the long‑setback neighbor might not be issued quickly and the owner needed certainty to proceed with corner‑lot development.

Support letters from the neighbor who sets the deep setback and from other immediate neighbors were submitted; John Bridal Jr., the neighbor with the existing deep setback, told the board he is securing a permit for a front garage to protect his own footprint and said he supported using 40 feet as the context. Opponents who live on Kelly Road raised concerns about sightlines, a steep icy slope, narrow pavement and driveway placement on Kelly Road that could affect safety at the Franklin Pike intersection.

Board members weighed the lot shape and the hardship created by the contextual setback and voted to approve a 40‑foot setback for Franklin Pike Circle. Members noted the administrative effect that if the neighbor’s permit issues before the corner‑lot permit is finalized, the need for relief for other lots could evaporate. The motion passed on a voice vote.