Orange County — Board of Zoning Adjustment

VA-02-10-116 — Christian M. Swann

Request: Variance in R-1AA (single family-10,000 sq. ft. lots) zone to construct a 6 ft. high wall with 7.5 ft. columns and 8.6 ft. gates on front property line in lieu of 4 ft. in height.

Decision: Approved

Hearing: The applicant explained the nature of Gatlin Avenue has changed from what had been a local neighborhood road to a major thoroughfare for east-to-west traffic. A wall was needed as a visual and sound buffer. He explained there was a true hardship on the land. The property has a seven-foot direct plunge a few feet away from the front property line. The second story portion of the house, where the bedrooms are located, receive night-time car headlight impact from vehicles traveling south on Summerlin. The wall needs to be six feet in height to block the view. The applicant noted that the property is not level, and dips in some spots to where the wall will actually be less than five feet in height. The BZA felt this was a reasonable request, based on the extenuating circumstances. The applicant agreed to the conditions, which will lesson potential visual impact along the road. There was no opposition present at the public hearing.