Orange County — Board of Zoning Adjustment

VA-00-09-014 — James Kirkland, Jr.

Request: Variance in R-1 zone to allow a detached accessory structure used for storage to remain with 1,120 sq. ft. in lieu of 500 sq. ft.

Decision: Approved

Hearing: The structure in question is a detached garage. It was built without permits a number of years ago and remains in an unfinished state. An anonymous complaint resulted in action by the Code Enforcement Division. The property owner learned a variance was needed due to the large size of the building. Staff had no objection in theory to the size of the building; it and the house sit on a large parcel of land. The subject building is located a considerable distance from the road and near other homes. However, Staff was concerns about how the building is being used and its appearance, which is not aesthetically-pleasing. Part of the building is being used for storage of a tractor trailer cab (commercial dual wheel vehicle) which is a violation. On-site inspection revealed the applicant removed a portion of the gate to allow for the cab's access directly into the building from the road. There are two openings into the garage; the opening on the south is taller to accommodate the height of the cab. Staff also reported another building addition (porch) onto the house built withouth permits. Staff recommended several proposed conditions to correct the violations and the visual appearance of the building. The applicant's representative stated he was not aware of the dual wheel vehicle violation, stating this vehicle was occassionally driven from the Home Depot Store by Mr. Kirkland. It was his opinion the garage and house addition were built by previous owners. He agreed with the conditions proposed by Staff. There was no opposition to the request.