MAGNOLIA SPRINGS — The town of Magnolia Springs’ zoning laws may soon be revised.

During its regular work session Tuesday, the Magnolia Springs Town Council decided to review those laws and see if any updates are needed.

That decision came on the heels of a complaint by Magnolia Springs resident Francis Cleverdon about an addition being made to residential property located in front of property that belonged to her late sister.

“I’d like an explanation for Richard Holks’ building going up by my sister’s house,” she said at the work session.

According to Cleverdon, the structure is oversized, made of fiberglass and encroaches on the front entrance to the property that Cleverdon is now trying to sell.

“He says it’s on a 5-foot setback,” she said. “But it sets back up to my sister’s front yard.”

The council went on to discuss the issue in an effort to discover whether proper procedures were following in applying for a permit to make an addition in a residential area.

“I didn’t come over (and look at the property),” said Councilman Bob Holk. “But we talked about setbacks.”

He added that when considering such a permit, town officials first ask whether a property is in a historic district, in which case such an addition would be prohibited. Holks’ property is not. But review of a zoning map revealed that Cleverdon’s sister’s property is in the historic district.

The second factor considered is making sure that an addition remains at a height of no larger than 60 percent of the property’s main structure. Further discussion found the addition in question to be quite large.

“That thing is really big,” said Donna Eslinger, who lives on the other side of Holk’s property. “It’s huge.”

However, council members found that Holk’s home is more than 800 feet tall and the addition falls within height regulations.

Further discussion pointed out that the addition is expected to be enclosed.

“It doesn’t matter if ti’s closed or not,” Cleverdon said. “It’s ruined that property. Before you approve these things, you need to go look.”

Council members also suggested asking Holk to place foliage along the property border to block view of the structure.

“It would take years for anything like that to grow,” Cleverdon countered.

Additional discussion found that Holk did not inform neighbors of his intention to build the addition. But it was pointed out that it was not required. Therefore, the council agreed to look into the issue and review zoning regulations.