County grants variance

The Alleghany County Board of Commissioners granted a variance to Joines Trailer Court owner Tony Greene off U.S. 21 south of Sparta. The board agreed on the move unanimously after a quasi-judicial proceeding during its meeting Monday.

According to information presented at the meeting, the location was in existence prior to the county's Property Rights Protection Ordinance and thus was exempt from meeting its requirements. However, Greene is planning to apply to expand the park and is required to either bring the existing parts of the park up to the ordinance's standards or to get a variance. In order to move forward, Greene is now required to apply for a permit for the expansion through the county's planning board.

Some of the mobile homes in the park did not meet setback requirements from the roadway (two by 14 inches or less) and others were too close to one another. Planner Kathy Murphy pointed out that some of the homes had additional structures that were added to them, making them even closer together in some places. According to the ordinance, homes must be 25 feet apart and 20 feet from roadways. Murphy said the park's parking areas and roads meet the county's standards.

Greene owns a total of 19.256 acres at the site, only a portion of which is developed. He noted that the land had been graded for an expansion of the park prior to his purchase of it about seven years ago. However, water and sewer requirements had halted progress. The expansion would be placed on the north side of the park and would be required to meet the county's standards.

With town water and sewer now available to the site, Greene said he hopes to move forward with an expansion of about 34 new lots, adding to the 24 already in the trailer court. The lots are typically rented by mobile home owners, who pay a fee to have their homes there. Greene in turn mows lawns, provides garbage service and maintains roadways.

Greene said he could not move the roadway to rectify the setback problems or the homes would be too close on the other side and a similar problem would be faced if moving the homes to allow greater distance between. The cost of moving the homes, which are not owned by Greene, would also present a hardship for him and the homeowners, he said.

Prior to approving the variance, the commissioners required Greene to handle a problem regarding runoff from some unrelated grading work he had done along U.S. 21. The area graded was less than one acre, so Greene said he did not need permits to do that work. However, neighbor Lujean Moxley said water and mud had run onto her property. Greene agreed to work with Ms. Moxley to handle the situation.