Board approves Costner variances to allow house at 108 E. Charleston Ave.

The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment on June 10 approved ZPH2026‑000017, granting variances to Bert and Leah Costner so they can finish construction of a single‑family home and carport at 108 East Charleston Avenue in the Grovemont neighborhood.

Planner Jason Payne described the property as “0.06 acres, just about 2,600 square feet” and said the applicants sought a front/right‑of‑way setback reduction from 10 feet to 2.75 feet, a side setback reduction from 7 feet to 2.7 feet, and a parking reduction from two required spaces to one. The applicant told the board the property was purchased in February and that the new house is intended for their daughter. A neighbor, Randy Hupp, testified he lives across the street and “is all for this,” saying the existing trailer on the property is decades old and that “anything will be an improvement.”

Board members considered the lot’s history, noting it is an original small lot from a 1926 plat and is legally nonconforming. One board member moved to adopt findings that the application met the variance criteria under the Buncombe County zoning ordinance; the motion carried and the board instructed staff to draft an order approving the permit. The board placed the evidence into the record and recorded an order granting the variance on 06/10/2026.

Why it matters: the decision permits a larger, stick‑built house on a tiny, pre‑zoning lot and reduces parking requirements, allowing the Costners to replace an older trailer and complete construction. The record shows staff and neighbors supported the factual findings; the board emphasized that the hardship resulted from the lot’s preexisting legal nonconformity rather than actions by the applicant.