Land Use Board approves lot‑size variance for Austin Road property allowing manufactured‑home replacement

The Union County Land Use Board approved a variance July 21 allowing a property on Claude Austin Road to be subdivided so a manufactured home can be replaced on the site.

Staff said the applicant, Jamie Christopher Taylor, is seeking relief of 2,974 square feet from the 40,000‑square‑foot lot minimum required in the RA‑40 district (parcel 04063012 E). According to the record, the owner proposed dividing an existing parcel to place a new manufactured home in a location that would meet current ordinance setbacks; an increased public right‑of‑way reduced the available area on the front lot so it no longer met the minimum lot size.

Jamie Taylor told the board the existing manufactured home has been on the property for about 26 years and that he was unaware of when the right‑of‑way was increased. “I’ve been here 26 years,” Taylor said, explaining the change in the right‑of‑way created the hardship. Staff explained the variance request is to allow a reasonable use of the property given the changed right‑of‑way and the age of the manufactured home.

Board members examined the five variance findings (unnecessary hardship, uniqueness, relation to property conditions rather than personal circumstances, not self‑created, and public interest) and agreed each was met given the right‑of‑way change and the long‑standing placement of the manufactured home. A motion to approve the variance carried.

The board did not have a staff recommendation for this request; it treated the case under the statutory findings required for variances and entered the applicant’s submissions into evidence.

What happens next: the applicant may proceed with the subdivision/installation in accord with county permitting once the variance is recorded and any necessary permits are obtained.

— Reporting from the Union County Land Use Board meeting on July 21, 2026.