Board of Zoning Appeals approves variance for Irmo lot despite neighbor objections

The Richland County Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously to grant a variance for 1004 Jones Road in Irmo (ZV-26-001), allowing a proposed single-family dwelling to encroach 15 feet into the front setback and 24 feet into the rear setback.

Chair Sasha Hendrix opened the public hearing and the zoning administrator explained the request and the standards the board must find to grant a variance. Zoning staff told the board the parcel is 0.35 acres and meets the R-2 district minimum lot area but that the lot’s irregular “football” shape and recent remapping increased the front setback from 25 to 35 feet (effective March 1, 2024), shrinking the buildable envelope. Staff recommended approval based on those physical constraints and the finding that a similar single-family use would not substantially detract from surrounding properties.

Applicant Shana Shepherd told the board she held a 2018 building permit for the site but that the permit expired and, after remapping, the new setbacks reduced the allowable footprint to roughly 440 square feet of buildable area outside the flood zone. “Because of the remapping… I would only have a space for 440 square feet of actual building space without being in the flood zone,” Shepherd said, asking the board to allow the footprint that had previously been permitted.

Neighbor James Butler, who said he lives at 1028 Jones Road, opposed the request. Butler displayed photos and argued the lot sits on a long curve near Lake Murray where service vehicles and tradespeople already park in the travel lanes. “It’s gonna have adversely affect… every house down the street, making it harder to get in and out,” Butler said, and raised concerns that added curbside parking during construction or service calls would worsen congestion and hurt property values.

Board members questioned Shepherd about driveway placement, whether the proposed front of the house would face a floodplain, and why she had not oriented the building differently. Shepherd said she did not want to place the home in the floodplain or depend on flood insurance; she said the driveway location corresponds to an existing culvert installed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

After a brief recess to restore Internet/GIS access for displaying photos and maps, staff reiterated that elevated construction can occur in flood-prone areas but that the current setbacks substantially shrink the allowable footprint. A board member moved to approve the variance “given on 1004 Jones Road, Irmo, South Carolina 29063,” conditioned on meeting the standards in Section 26-2.5(d)(4) for special exceptions and decision standards. The motion was seconded and the roll-call vote recorded as Nelson — yes; Hendrix — yes; Alderman — yes; Johnson — yes; Landy — yes. The motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: the applicant may pursue a building permit consistent with the conditions the board attached; the board’s decision becomes final after minutes are approved at a subsequent meeting and is subject to the county’s reconsideration and circuit-court appeal timelines.