10/13/2014 Planning & Zoning Commission
GORDON COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
PUBLIC HEARING
OCTOBER 13, 2014
The Gordon County Planning Commission held a Public Hearing on Monday, October 13, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Gordon County Administration Building for the purpose of hearing variance and zoning change requests. Members present were:
Brad Rains, Ron Free, Jerry Lovelace, Butch Layson, and Randy Rule
Chairman Rains called the meeting to order and advised all present of the sign-up sheets available for those who wish to address the Planning Commission on any of the zoning or variance change applications.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion was made by Randy Rule to approve the minutes of the previous meeting of September 8, 2014. Jerry Lovelace seconded the motion. All voted aye. The minutes were approved as written.
REZONING APPLICATION #Z14-08, TOMMIE STONE
Chairman Rains read rezoning application #Z14-08, Tommie Stone, requesting to rezone 1.23 acres located at 111 Orr Mill Road, SE, Ranger, from A-1 to R-6. Mr. Stone represented the request explaining that they wanted to move the existing mobile home that was located at 250 Orr Mill Road to the 111 Orr Mill Road location permanently and then they were either going to build or buy a new mobile home to place at the 250 Orr Mill Road location. Randy Rule asked for clarification that they were not just abandoning the mobile home and Mr. Stone replied that they were going to set the existing mobile home up at the 111 Orr Mill Road location. All adjoining property owners had been notified.
Ursula Desrosier, Zoning Administrator for Gordon County, recommended that the rezoning request identified as Application #Z14-08 be approved.
Jerry Lovelace made the motion to approve the rezoning request identified as #Z14-08 from A-1 to R-6 as requested. Butch Layson seconded the motion. All voted aye. The recommendation for approval was sent to the Board of Commissioners.
REZONING APPLICATION #Z14-10, TONY LEE TURNER
Chairman Rains read rezoning application #Z14-10, Tony Lee Turner, requesting to rezone a 56 acre tract located at 714 Ryo Mtn. Road, Fairmount, from R-1 to A-1. Mr. Turner represented the request explaining that he would like to build 4 poultry houses on the property. All adjoining property owners had been notified.
Mr. Ian MacFarlane, an adjoining property owner and Mrs. Ann Payne spoke in support and with no objections to changing the zoning back to A-1.
Ursula Desrosier, Zoning Administrator for Gordon County, recommended that the rezoning request identified as Application #Z14-10 be approved.
Ron Free made the motion to approve the rezoning request identified as #Z14-10 from R-1 to A-1 as requested. Butch Layson seconded the motion. All voted aye. The recommendation for approval was sent to the Board of Commissioners.
VARIANCE APPLICATION #V14-07, SHANE & CHARITY CARNEY
Chairman Rains read variance application #V14-07, Shane and Charity Carney, requesting a variance on a 16.978 acre tract located at 587 Wesley Chapel Road, Calhoun, to reduce setback requirements to adjacent dwelling to build chicken houses. Mrs. Carney represented the request explaining that her family currently have 4 poultry houses at this location and would like to add 2 more houses because they needed to increase their income and it would be more cost efficient to have the new houses with the existing houses, saving on water, electrical, gas, etc. The new houses would need a variance due to the fact they would only be 400 feet from the adjacent property which is across Hwy. 53 instead of the required 500 feet. Mrs. Carney added that this farm had been in her husband’s family for over 100 years and they would like for their son to continue to work the farm in the future with the additional houses. All adjoining property owners had been notified.
Judith Ralston, representing her mother, Tinsey Erwin, who could not be present due to being in the hospital, spoke in opposition to the requested variance. Mrs. Ralston stated her family was in the poultry business as well and was not against the chicken farming business but this would put the back end of these 2 new houses 400 feet from her mother’s rental property, and that the back end is where all the smell, dust, and noise comes from. She asked that the planning commission hold this ordinance in place since this would harm the value of her mother’s property for the future. Mrs. Carney spoke again stating that they really needed to be able to build these 2 new houses for financial reasons. Ron Free stated he believed that the Carneys did have 500 feet and would not need the variance.
Ursula Desrosier, Zoning Administrator for Gordon County, recommended that the variance request identified as Application #V14-07 be approved.
Ron Free made the motion to deny the variance application identified as #V14-07 as requested. Butch Layson seconded the motion. No one voted with the motion. Motion dies. Jerry Loveless made the motion to approve the variance application as requested. No one seconded the motion. Motion dies. Ron Free again stated he did not think they needed the variance and made a motion to table until the November 2014 meeting so the Carneys could provide a scaled drawing of the distance between the adjacent property and the new houses. Butch Layson seconded the motion. All voted aye. The variance was tabled until the November 10, 2014 meeting.
VARIANCE APPLICATION #V14-08, BRUCE & MARY MANNING
Chairman Rains read variance application #V14-08, Bruce and Mary Manning, requesting a variance on a 7.58 acre tract located at 8151 Fairmount Hwy., SE, Fairmount, to reduce setback requirements to adjacent dwelling to build an animal barn. The Manning’s represented the request explaining that their children were involved in the Gordon County 4-H program and raised and showed goats. They would like to construct a 20×30 structure for a show barn for the goats, but needed a variance to construct the structure 330 feet from an adjacent dwelling, reducing the 500 foot requirement. The only other location on their property to build this barn would be in a flood prone area and would require more money to construct and it would still be at risk for flooding and that would be hazardous to the goats. All adjoining property owners had been notified.
Sara Curtis, owner of the adjacent dwelling that this would affect, spoke with her concerns that the Manning’s would be using this barn to operate a business of selling the goats. Kelly Cornwell, an area property owner, spoke for the community with their concerns of future use for the barn, property values, run-offs into nearby ponds, and the fact that families have spent lots of money to build nice homes expecting the county to stand by the ordinances to protect their investments. Ann Payne spoke in support of her daughter, Mary being very clean with the show goats, because they have to be well taken care of to be show goats. The Manning’s closed in saying that they were not wanting to make this a business, that it was only for show goats with 4-H and that they would have to get rid of the old goats as they got too old, but that would be the only selling.
Ursula Desrosier, Zoning Administrator for Gordon County, recommended that the variance request identified as Application #V14-08 be approved.
Randy Rule made the motion to deny the variance request identified as #V14-08, because the Manning’s did have another location on their property to place this barn. Butch Layson seconded the motion. All voted aye. The variance request was denied. The thirty- (30) day appeal period was explained.
VARIANCE APPLICATION #V14-09, JOHN R. ROSS, JR.
(Applicant: Terry Brumlow, Atty.)
Chairman Rains read variance application #V14-09, John R. Ross, Jr., requesting a variance on a 19.638 acre tract located at 1119 Erwin Hill Road, Adairsville, to reduce setback requirements to adjacent dwelling to build a chicken house. Terry Brumlow, a local attorney represented the request explaining that Mr. Ross currently has 3 poultry houses at this location and would like to construct a new poultry house but needs no more than a 50 foot variance from the adjacent dwelling to be able to do so. All adjoining property owners had been notified.
Ursula Desrosier, Zoning Administrator for Gordon County, recommended that the variance request identified as Application #V14-09 be approved.
Ron Free made the motion to approve the variance application identified as #V14-09 as requested. Jerry Lovelace seconded the motion. All voted aye. The variance was granted. The thirty- (30) day appeal period was explained.
ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
There being no additional business, Ron Free made the motion to adjourn. Randy Rule seconded the motion. All voted aye. The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
