A dry well joins the Hardeman sport-court plan. Staff still urges denial.

The owners seeking to keep an unpermitted backyard sport court at 116 Hardeman Road have proposed a trench drain feeding a 50-gallon infiltration system with no outlet pipe. But Sandy Springs staff’s Oct. 20 report still recommends denying the setback and lot-coverage exceptions.⁠[1]

The drainage submission, marked Oct. 5, places the trench drain along the rear property line. Its accompanying explanation says runoff would enter a below-ground dry well and soak into the site, with the aim of reducing water flowing onto the Cloisters property to the north. That is the proposal’s intended result—not an established performance finding.⁠[1]

The October staff report says the plans were insufficient for a proper stormwater review and that formal review would occur during permitting if the board considers approval. The site is within the Nancy Creek Declared Sensitive Area, where staff says twice as much stormwater mitigation is required. Engineering approval remains one of staff’s proposed conditions, not something the variance request itself supplies.⁠[1]

The zoning problem is unchanged: staff places the 766-square-foot court about four feet from the northern and western property lines, inside the applicable 10-foot setback. It brings impervious lot coverage to 44.3%, against a 35% base limit. The owners’ application says coverage was already 39.95% following a 2019 administrative variance for a pool and hardscape improvements.⁠[1]

As we reported in our earlier account, the owners say slopes and mature trees constrain relocation; staff describes a standard rectangular lot with a gradual slope and no extraordinary hardship. The owners also say their contractor told them no permit was needed in 2025 and that they applied after the city advised otherwise.⁠[1]

Staff does find that the development would not harm public safety or neighboring properties. Its overall recommendation nevertheless remains denial. If the board approves the request, staff recommends evergreen screening along the court’s western edge, a city-engineer-approved stormwater plan, and removal of the light and light pole.⁠[1]

Case V-26-43 is on the Board of Appeals’ Nov. 4, 2026 agenda. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Studio Theatre at Sandy Springs City Hall, 1 Galambos Way. The staff recommendation is not a board decision.⁠[1]