The Elizabethton Board of Zoning Appeals approved a property variance request that will allow a city property owner the option to build on a smaller-than-average lot.
The board unanimously approved the lot size variance request by Teddy Avery at 722 Watauga Ave.
Director of Planning and Development Jon Hartman explained the vacant lot was located between two houses. He said the owner had plans to sell the lot and needed the variance so that a structure could be built on the lot.
Hartman said the required lot size for a residential area was 7,500 square feet. The lot in question was 7,250 square feet.
“It is a 250-square-foot difference so it is very minimal,” Hartman said.
Board chairman Paul Bellamy explained that with the variance the property lines would remain the same. The only difference was that the lot would now be cleared to have something built on it.
“The lot in question is too small for zone requirements,” Bellamy said. “He is asking for a variance to build on a smaller lot.”
Hartman noted that many lots in the community were smaller. He said it was likely that different ordinances or codes were in place when the community was planned.
The vacant lot, which was purchased by Avery, was a surplus lot that was never developed when the rest of the community was.