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Commission reviews request to vacate end of County Road 175; staff say adjacent state land and other owners complicate petition
Summary
Shadow Waller Farms LLC requested vacation of a segment of County Road 175; county staff reported the state and other landowners also abut the road, so the petition as submitted appears incomplete and the commission asked the petitioner to provide a survey and join other adjoining owners.
Jackson County staff briefed the commission on April 14 about a written petition from Shadow Waller Farms LLC seeking vacation of the public road that ends at County Road 175 near Graves Chapel and the Alabama–Tennessee state line. County legal and engineering staff told commissioners that available maps indicate the state of Alabama owns land adjoining portions of the road and that other private owners likely abut the road, so Shadow Waller Farms is not the sole adjoining landowner.
Staff advised that, under the applicable Alabama statutory process for vacating public roads, the county must notify all abutting landowners and hold public hearings; if other owners abut the road they must be included or the petition cannot proceed as submitted. The county attorney recommended asking the petitioner to provide a precise property description and/or survey and to obtain joinder from any additional abutting landowners before the commission considers instituting the formal vacation process. Commissioners also noted practical issues at the site, including public use of the road, creek crossings and longstanding complaints about trespassing and off-road use that have been reported by adjacent landowners.
The commission took no formal action on the petition and instructed staff to respond to the petitioner requesting clarification, a legal description or survey, and confirmation that all other abutting owners join or consent to the vacation request.
Ending: Staff will send a formal response to Shadow Waller Farms LLC asking for a survey or clearer legal description and for confirmation of joinder by other abutting landowners; no public hearing or vacation action will proceed until the ownership question is resolved.
