While members of the Chipley Planning & Zoning Commission praised Habitat for Humanity for the job they are doing to provide homes for some local residents, they also cautioned the organization to not count on having all variances approved.
Meeting July 5th, commission members expressed some hesitation in granting the 5-foot setback variance after an immediate neighbor of the Habitat home objected to request.
Habitat sought the variance to allow a roof structure put on the door facing south on the lot on 1st Street property. That door directly faces a door on the home (another Habitat structure) to the south. However, City Administrator said the neighbor to the south has already requested permission to put up a fence between the two homes.
While the setback variance was approved in a split vote with commission member Becky Cousson abstaining from voting, commission members made it clear they would like Habitat to look at all potential problems prior to starting a build, rather than expecting that the commission will react favorably to a variance request.