Board grants front- and side-setback variances for Coral Properties lot in Bell Buckle

The Bedford County Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously to grant setback variances for Coral Properties LLC on 4th Street in the Bell Buckle area, allowing construction of a single-family home on a narrow, historic lot.

Staff said the property, part of the Ransom Stevens addition, contains 50-foot-wide lots platted before modern zoning and is constrained by a diagonal power-line easement that pushes the only feasible building footprint forward on the parcel. A staff presentation noted nearby municipal subdivisions have similarly small lots, and that the combination of historic lot layout and the easement leaves little alternate buildable area.

A member of the public, Ronnie Greenhagen, who said he lives immediately south of the parcel, told the board he welcomed a new home but urged attention to a survey discrepancy near the shared fence line. "I'm not opposed to the property or the house being there. I'm just worried about the survey and the reality of it if it's really true," Greenhagen said.

Commissioner Vick moved to reduce the required front-yard setback from 50 feet to 23 feet and to reduce the south-side setback to roughly 16.82 feet as presented; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Brothers and passed unanimously.

The board recorded correspondence from nearby residents and noted staff will include survey materials and prior correspondence in the record. No additional conditions or mitigation requirements were attached to the approval.

The action was a routine zoning variance under the board's authority; the board and staff described the relief as necessary given the lot configuration and the power-line easement that materially constrains where a house can be sited.