Board defers decision on 870 Edgewater Drive variance for March after tree, stormwater questions

The Sandy Springs Board of Appeals on Feb. 4 voted unanimously to defer consideration of a requested variance at 870 Edgewater Drive until its March 4 meeting to allow the applicant to consult an arborist and for staff to address concerns raised in an opposition letter.

Staff had recommended denial of variance B2553, a request for relief from Development Code section 6.1.0.2(b) to encroach 20 feet into the 60-foot primary-street setback for a new house. Planners told the board the site can be developed using a code-compliant alternative design and characterized the requested front-yard encroachment as a deviation from the code, not a necessity.

Owner Bruce Bowen said steep topography, a culvert easement, and other constraints reduce the buildable area of the lot. Bowen told the board roughly "6,801 square feet of the property" is unbuildable and that a proposed stormwater management system would require a trench approximately "37 feet" long, "5 feet" wide and "6 feet" deep using 72 AquaSells modules. Bowen said his team worked with a professional engineer and the city engineer, John Amesbury, and that moving the building forward about 20 feet would reduce engineering complexity and tree disturbance on the site.

Board members asked whether the applicant had obtained arborist and hydrology studies; Bowen said he had not completed an arborist report but would consult the arborist and the building official. After discussion the board moved to defer the case and directed staff to address the opposition letter and to report back at the March meeting. An unidentified board member made the motion to defer and another seconded; the board voted unanimously.