Lake Park property owner in zoning trouble

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June 12, 2009

By Matt Flumerfelt The Valdosta Daily Times Fri Jun 12, 2009, 11:44 PM EDT

LAKE PARK — A Lake Park property owner was recently notified he was in violation of city zoning ordinances.

Lake Park’s building inspector, Alan Leonard, and Zoning Administrator Ann Peterson are investigating whether property owner George Kelecheck has taken steps to comply with the city’s zoning ordinances.

Kelecheck, owner of property located at 215 Harris Trail in Lake Park, is in violation of at least one, and possibly two Lake Park zoning ordinances: one for putting an additional utility building on a lot not large enough to accommodate it, and another for putting a multi-family dwelling on a lot zoned for single-family dwellings only, Peterson said.

On April 17, 2009, Peterson mailed Kelecheck a letter stating: “It has come to our building inspector’s attention that a portable storage unit has been placed on this lot, and visual inspection confirms the same. This lot is not allowed any additional storage units/buildings as the maximum square footage allowed is 800 feet. The guest house, which is classified as an accessory building, is over the maximum square footage.”

Kelecheck was given 30 days from the receipt of the letter “to make sure this lot is in full compliance.” He was also mailed a copy of the Lake Park zoning ordinance regarding accessory buildings. Peterson said the building inspector is in the process of determining whether the additional utility building has been removed.

Kelecheck was also notified that a structure he built on the property violated city ordinances because it was being leased to two separate, unrelated households, instead of a single-family as permitted by its current zoning.

Peterson said Kelecheck came before the Lake Park City Council about a year ago and requested that the property be rezoned to allow him to split the property and add a guest house. At the time of the request, he said he wanted to add the structure so his 83-year-old mother could live there.

Peterson said Kelecheck’s request was denied by the zoning board of appeals because the area where he wanted to locate the building was not big enough.

Kelecheck later came before city council again — this time requesting rezoning to allow him to build a structure on a different part of the property, in front of the main structure, where there was more room. That request was approved, but for a single-family dwelling only.

Sometime later, Peterson and Leonard received complaints from neighbors about the number of vehicles being parked there and the number of individuals frequenting the property.

Subsequent investigation determined that Kelecheck had actually built a two-story structure with separate living quarters on both floors. Both levels of the building were being leased to persons unrelated to Kelecheck instead of being used by his mother. Peterson said that during the course of their inspections, it was discovered Kelecheck does not occupy the property, but lives in Conyers, and holds the property in the form of a limited liability company.

Kelecheck did not return phone calls for comment Friday.

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