Orange County — Board of Zoning Adjustment

VA-02-08-092 — Matthew G. Deboard

Request: Variance in R-1A (single family-7,500 sq. ft.) zone to construct carport addition to single family residence 1 ft. from side street property line in lieu of 15 ft.

Decision: Approved

Hearing: The applicant recently purchased the property and wanted to make physical improvements, which included a provision for covered parking. Parking has been left out in the open when previous owners converted the carport into living area for the house. The area along the side of the house contains a 17 feet of grassy right-of-way measuring 17 feet in width from the street. A tall wooden fence exists along the entire property line there. A portion of that fence near the intersection will be removed. Access will be from the existing driveway on Kingswood Drive; the driveway will be expanded to the carport area. The carport, in effect, will be parallel to the side street (Malone Drive). Staff advised that with conditions, the new carport would be an aesthetic and practical improvement to the property with respect to parking conditions. Furthermore, the new design would be better from a traffic visibility standpoint than the current parking situation abutting Kingswood Drive. The BZA noted the width of the proposed carport was not quite wide enough to accommodate two cars. The applicant agreed to reduce the width for one car, large enough for handicapped accommodations, which reduced the amount of setback needed. There was no opposition to this request.