Business owner gets narrow buffer relief after road widening reduced parking

The Zoning Board approved a limited reduction of the required buffer between NC/GC and AG zoning on a 4.12-acre commercial parcel affected by a state road-widening project. Planning staff said the expansion of the highway removed front parking and that placing parking behind the existing buildings required a small buffer reduction to create a wraparound driveway for fire protection and tenant access.

John Lineberger, the applicant, told the board he did not seek to eliminate the buffer around the entire property but needed relief at a tight corner where the drive curves behind an existing building. He said the neighboring cemetery already provides significant mature screening. Board members asked whether the buffer truly had to go to the property line and determined the required encroachment was small; the board approved the limited reduction 5–0.

The approval allows the owner to reconstruct parking behind the building subject to recording any necessary easement and meeting permitting requirements; staff and the applicant said they would limit the reduction to the area illustrated in the packet rather than remove buffers for the full site.