Board of Adjustment 9/25/25

Board of Adjustment Meeting Recap – September 25, 2025

On September 25th, 2025, the Board of Adjustment convened to address a range of zoning-related matters. The meeting, attended by five out of seven board members, focused primarily on special use permits and minutes approval, but ultimately postponed decisions regarding variance requests due to a shortfall in the required quorum. This recap provides an overview of what was discussed and decided, outlining key implications for residents.

A significant portion of the meeting centered on a special use permit request from Grant Dasher concerning an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at his property located at 167 Virginia Road. After presentations from staff and the applicant, along with a brief public comment period where Dasher emphasized his desire to improve the property and benefit the community, the Board unanimously approved the permit. This approval allows for construction of a smaller ADU that will be located outside flood zones and stream buffers, representing an improvement over the current situation. Residents interested in learning more about the site plan can contact April Carter, who was present to answer questions.

The Board also considered a special use permit request from the Land Care Committee for work at Montreat Memorial Garden. However, due to a disaster recovery act extending the permit's expiration date, the item was ultimately removed from today’s agenda and will be revisited at a future meeting. Additionally, the Board approved the minutes from their previous meeting held on June 26th, confirming accuracy and completeness.

A key challenge arose when the Board discovered they lacked a sufficient quorum (a supermajority of eight out of seven members) to hear the pending variance requests. Board Chair expressed regret for this outcome and apologized for the inconvenience. Richard Divert and Jason Gillen, who had indicated their intent to appear before the Board regarding these variance requests, were informed that those matters would need to be rescheduled.

Looking ahead, several action items have been identified. Angie will contact Ed Kramer, an alternate board member, to determine his availability for future meetings. Furthermore, staff will investigate the possibility of scheduling a special meeting before the next regularly scheduled meeting on October 23rd. Residents with concerns or questions regarding the postponed variance requests are encouraged to attend that meeting, which will be held on October 23rd. The Board’s role is to ensure compliance with zoning ordinances, and residents are welcome to participate in the process.