St. Simons Island, Glynn County — The Board of Appeals on Nov. 13 approved a variance concerning a 1924 home at 732 Ocean Boulevard after a protracted discussion over site coverage, hardscape calculations and a homeowner’s medical hardship.

Staff presentation and recommendation: Planning staff (Niecy Carroll) told the board the applicant requested a variance under Glynn County zoning ordinance section 705 to bring an existing nonconforming structure into compliance and to modify the kitchen and add a bedroom and bath. Staff said the submitted site-coverage calculation listed 49.28% coverage but flagged that hardscape areas—driveways, pavers, patios and pools—appeared to be excluded from that calculation and therefore the actual coverage could be higher. Staff recommended approving the application to bring the structure into conformity but denying the proposed renovations until site-coverage issues were remediated.

Homeowner testimony and hardship claim: Homeowner Robert Scherer described a recent diagnosis of multiple myeloma and said renovations are required to accommodate palliative care and wheelchair accessibility. Scherer asked the board to consider three possible paths: grant a conditional approval and the owner pursue a separate site-coverage variance later; rely on the proposed zoning ordinance (which would increase allowable site coverage to 60% if adopted); or allow the owner to remove pavers/pool to reach compliance. Scherer said neighbors had submitted written approvals and said he would remove or trim a carport that appeared to extend beyond the property line if the board required it.

Technical input: Architect Darby McCloskey said he had included the pavers in a prior drawing and estimated the pavers were approximately 1,000 square feet. Adding that area to the plan’s shown figure (about 2,423 sq ft) would raise the coverage into the mid-70% range, well above the county’s current 50% site-coverage limit. The architect and several board members discussed whether pool area should be excluded as not shedding water; the architect estimated the pool at roughly 340 sq ft and said deleting that area from the calculation would reduce but not eliminate the overage.

Board deliberation and motions: The board debated multiple options. One motion to approve the request to bring the existing structure into conformity but deny the proposed renovations until site-coverage issues were resolved failed. After further discussion the board voted to approve ZV-25-41 "as presented;" the applicant and staff understood that the homeowner would return for a site-coverage variance if necessary and that the owner agreed to trim the carport to sit wholly on the property.

What was decided: ZV-25-41 was approved by the BOA; staff and the architect recorded that including pavers in the coverage calculation likely pushes the lot over the existing 50% limit. The homeowner’s medical condition and the owner’s agreement to address encroachments and pursue any subsequent site-coverage variance were central to the board’s deliberations.

Next steps: The homeowner will coordinate with county staff to resolve site-coverage calculations and (if needed) apply for a separate site-coverage variance or modify hardscape elements.