The Greenwood Board of Zoning Appeals on Nov. 24 approved two variances for a proposed Fairfield Inn hotel and granted an accessory‑structure variance for a church maintenance garage, while denying a separate request to enlarge directional signs at Valdosta Hospital.

Engineer Lee Gensick, representing the hotel project and speaking for the petitioner (Sonia Saleem on behalf of High Point Lodging), told the board the 4‑story Fairfield Inn would sit on a constrained 2‑acre corner lot near the I‑65 interchange and that franchise standards constrained door locations and the portico. “This hotel is gonna be a Fairfield Inn, which is a Marriott product,” Gensick said as he described the site layout and the reasons the team sought two variances: a reduction in the front (north) setback from 60 feet to 46 feet for the portico and a reduction in east‑façade glazing from 30% to 10%.

Staff recommended approval with conditions. Planning staff told the board the 46‑foot setback should apply only to the portico while the primary building must meet the 60‑foot setback; staff also recommended the reduced transparency be approved only if additional spandrel or clear glazing pieces were added so passersby see a windowed appearance. As staff explained, “Spandrel glass is a full glass. It’s just to meet the intent of the ordinance. It doesn’t act as an actual window.” The board voted 5–0 to admit evidence and then voted 5–0 on each variance: approving the setback variance with the staff condition and approving the transparency variance with the glazing condition. The board directed the corporation counsel’s office to draft written findings of fact adopting the evidence and the staff report as the record; final action will be taken at the next meeting without the petitioner required to attend.

On BZA2025‑038, Joseph Heck, representing 1 Christian Church, said the church seeks a 24-by-24‑foot maintenance garage in a front yard area made necessary by the site’s pond and irregular lot shape; Heck said the existing shed would be removed. Staff recommended approval of the accessory‑structure variance with no conditions. The board admitted evidence and approved the garage variance 5–0 and directed counsel to prepare written findings.

On DZA2025‑041 (Valdosta Hospital/Valley Vista), petitioner representatives requested taller and larger directional signs — roughly 4 feet tall and up to about 16 square feet — to improve wayfinding at a self‑contained facility with multiple entrances. Planning staff recommended denial, concluding the current code already allows for visible directional signage and that the petitioner had not established the practical difficulty standard required to justify a deviation. After questions about existing sign sizes and how many directional signs would be used (exhibits identified six directional signs plus building signs), the board voted 5–0 to deny the request and directed counsel to draft written findings reflecting that decision.

Votes at a glance: all recorded motions in these docket items passed or failed with a 5–0 tally as noted. The board’s recorded decisions instruct corporation counsel to prepare written findings of fact for adoption at the next meeting.

What happens next: The applicants may work with staff to implement the staff conditions where applicable. The board will consider finalized written findings at a future meeting when it takes final action on the records.