Shore Drive is a single family home located in Edgewater, Maryland. The project is part of an older subdivision, there was an existing home, dilapidated boat house straddling the property lines, and this lot is situated on 0.12 acres of land. The existing home was with in the 100’ buffer to tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay, and did not meet setbacks for the R-5 zoning and required multiple variances for reconstruction plus the site had a very narrow water frontage and with standard setbacks for a pier would be left with no room for a pier and / or boat slip; therefore DFI prepared and processed a variance to set backs to allow a new home to be constructed and construct a pier such that this newly constructed waterfront home could have the same privileges to the water as the surrounding homes. All documents and testimony for the hearing were provided by DFI. The variance was granted, and permits were secured to build a new home and construct a pier and mooring piles for a boat slip. Stormwater management for the site was designed utilizing the environmental site design criteria based upon the new state and county stormwater management criteria. Stormwater management was addressed by utilizing the nonstructural credits to the maximum extent and by a Landscape infiltration device. This spectacular water front home would have been left with no pier or boat slip if not for the diligent work of the staff at DFI, to obtain not only the variances required for the pier and mooring piles but then the permits from Maryland Department of the Environment also.
Administrative Hearings – Variances, Special Exceptions & Rezonings
DFI is experienced with preparing and processing various administrative site plans and applications for the purpose of securing approvals for deviations to code requirements or changes to zoning classifications. DFI has prepared, processed and presented to the administrative hearing officer many variance cases for single family developments requiring relief from the County Code as it relates to setbacks, slopes, buffers, etc. DFI has also prepared plans and provided expert testimony in special exception and rezoning hearings, as well as high profile variance cases. Many of DFI's planning and engineering staff have been qualified as an experts within various jurisdictions for providing testimony in the field of site development.