Chapel Hill board unanimously grants setback variance for shed at 219 Glenhill Lane

The Town of Chapel Hill Board of Adjustment voted unanimously Sept. 3 to grant a dimensional variance allowing a six-foot encroachment into the street setback at 219 Glenhill Lane, authorizing staff to prepare an order implementing the decision.

Planning staff presented the case to the board, explaining the property is in an R-1 single-family zone and is subject to a 26-foot street setback. Alex Holloway of the Planning Department told the board that “the property is subject to 26 feet street setbacks, and the applicant requests a variance to reduce the street setback to 20 feet to allow for construction of a storage set,” and entered staff materials into the record. Applicants Colter Brinkley and his wife, Kelsey, said the lot’s triangular geometry and steep grades leave only one practical, relatively flat area for a modest accessory structure without major grading or tree removal. “The proposed location is really the only flat area on the property that is outside of the fenced yard and directly accessible from an existing driveway,” Brinkley said.

Board members asked detailed questions about alternatives, driveway impacts and whether a structural engineer had provided formal documentation. The applicants said the contractor could not feasibly provide the necessary leveling without substantial cost and that the engineer had provided informal input but not a formal report. During deliberations the board applied the four variance criteria; several members said the applicants’ description of topography and corner-lot frontage established an unnecessary hardship and that a six-foot encroachment would be minimally obtrusive to the streetscape. One member pressed whether space existed elsewhere on the property, noting tradeoffs with parking and maneuverability.

A motion to adopt Resolution A, directing staff to draft an order granting the variance, was moved and seconded and passed unanimously; the chair later corrected the roll call tally to note seven ayes. The board closed the evidentiary hearing before deliberations and noted staff will prepare the formal order for a future meeting packet.