A resident in the Hunter’s Glen subdivision in Peachtree City must remove a recent extension to his rear deck because it encroaches onto another resident’s property.
However, the city council has granted a variance that will allow Robert Stratton to keep the original covered deck, even though it encroaches 15 feet into the rear setback. The contractors who built the original deck 15 years ago, and also the recent deck extension, never sought a building permit, a process which almost certainly would have caught the error.
Compounding the issue is a significant problem Stratton had in getting a reliable survey of his lot, forcing city staff to rely in part on the subdivision plat that was submitted back in 1974 as part of the Hunter’s Glen master plan, officials said.
The deck encroachment remained unknown since it was built in the mid-1980s until Stratton sought building permits for a fence and also to replace and repair the existing roof over the deck, said Planning and Zoning Administrator David Rast.
Stratton, whose daughter now lives in the home at 213 Morgan’s Turn, also since then has corrected all other property maintenance issues, including the removal of a chain-link fence on the .11-acre lot and replacing siding that left a wall exposed after a storm, Rast said.
Councilman Eric Imker suggested that the matter could be continued to give Stratton time to work out a deal with the adjacent property owner to acquire the necessary land to keep the deck extension, but Stratton said he was fine with removing the deck extension instead of going to the extra trouble.
Councilwoman Vanessa Fleisch voted against the variance, saying it was Stratton’s responsibility to make sure he hired a licensed contractor who would have secured a building permit for the deck and the subsequent deck extension.
The variance was approved on a 4-1 vote.
