An angry Coweta County Commission made it quite clear Tuesday night that they would no longer hear variances applying to already built structures.

The straw that broke the camels' back was when planning director Robert Tolleson brought a variance request by Lichty Brothers Construction on a garage already built at a home at the corner of Ingram Court and Brittian Way.

Tolleson said the double car garage was 122 feet from the house, but extended one foot into the buffer area.

“I'm tired of this and I'm not going to listen to anymore of them,” said a noticeably hot Commissioner Vernon “Mutt” Hunter as he stormed to the break room to get a cup of coffee.

Several months ago, the commissioners had asked staff to write policies and guidelines to catch errors before homes or garages were built.

“You're putting us in the position of having to vote and tell somebody to tear a house down. That's just not right,” Hunter said.

Tolleson said the county had inspected the footings and found the garage was outside the buffer area. But after the inspection, the homeowner told the construction company he wanted the garage moved a little bit and that's where the problem occurred.

The commissioners approved the variance, but said this is the last one they want to discuss.

“I don't want to see or hear anymore of these. If I do, I will vote to tear the structure down,” said Commissioner Robert Wood.

Assistant county administrator Chuck Crawford said he would be meeting with the county's building department to see what had happened and how these situations could be eliminated in the future.

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