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Board approves setback variance at 677 Hudson Road despite resident safety concerns
Summary
The board approved a variance to front-setback requirements at 677 Hudson Road to allow a boat and RV storage facility; nearby residents raised traffic, speed and sight-line safety concerns and staff noted the setback standard in the zoning update should have been 100 feet, not 150.
Planning staff told the board that the applicant is requesting a variance from front-setback requirements for a primary structure at 677 Hudson Road in a highway commercial zoning district. Staff noted the parcel is about 4.25 acres in a suburban character area, the current use is commercial, and the request included variance distances measured to the road centerline (examples on the record included roughly 71 feet, 64 feet and 71.5 feet). The staff member said the prior ordinance standard had been 100 feet and that a 150-foot setback was carried forward in error; staff said a text amendment will be brought forward to restore the 100-foot standard.
The applicant, Jared Jones, who identified himself for the record, said the intended use is "a boat storage and RV storage," described a layout that could total about 40 storage units, and said he may retain the existing building or remove it depending on feasibility. Jones described landscaping and planting plans and compared the proposed low-impact storage use to the site's historic use as a truck stop.
During public comment, resident Anne Wheeler said she is concerned about vehicles traveling at high speed near Lloyd Presbyterian Park, limited sight-lines at park driveways, and the potential for more trailer traffic in the neighborhood; she urged attention to signage and planting. Another nearby resident, Bruce Meredith, who said he has lived near the intersection for decades, described frequent GPS-directed truck and cut-through traffic, a large hole on a curve that he urged the county to fill, and asked for an engineering study or road-widening consideration.
After discussion and clarification from staff about the measurement bases and ordinance history, a motion to approve the variance was moved from the floor, seconded, and the board voted in favor; the motion carried. Staff reiterated that any building must follow the approved site plan and that permits and landscaping requirements apply.
