Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Amendment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission tables request to amend Hometown Storage zoning; asks for clarified site plans and buffer verification
Summary
Owners of Hometown Storage sought permission for outdoor storage, U‑Haul rentals and an accounting office for a related contracting firm; the commission tabled the request to allow staff and the applicant to reconcile multiple site plans and confirm required buffers and plantings.
Owners of Hometown Storage asked the Hall County Planning Commission April 7 to amend zoning conditions to permit outdoor storage, U‑Haul rentals and to allow Cardinal Construction to run accounting functions from the facility’s office. Commissioners agreed the three requests were interrelated but that submitted plans and permitting documents did not match, and they voted unanimously to table the application until May 19 to allow the applicant and staff to provide clarified site plans and verification of buffer plantings.
Tom Elliott, owner, and Charlie Hippel, partner, said there would be no additional buildings, no increase in impervious surfaces, and no changes to the agreed 200‑foot buffer along Pleasant Hill Road or 50‑foot buffers elsewhere. They asked the commission to allow outdoor, secured storage inside the fenced area and to permit two U‑Haul trucks to be parked in the unsecured front lot for rental purposes, with additional trucks stored within the secured area. They also requested Cardinal Construction be permitted to use the on‑site office for accounting functions; they said customers would not visit Cardinal’s office.
A neighboring caretaker and other speakers said they had questions about differences between the concept plan approved by the board and the final site/land‑disturbance plans, and noted concerns about the number of parking spaces the site now contains versus earlier submittals. Commissioners asked staff to verify whether required landscaping had been installed, to reconcile the multiple versions of site plans and to confirm whether gravel parking and large outdoor storage would need separate variances under GCOD rules. Commissioner discussion indicated no objection in principle to two U‑Haul vehicles in front or to office use by Cardinal Construction, but commissioners reiterated the need for clearer documentation on parking, buffers, and the plan that was actually built.
The application was tabled to the May 19 Planning Commission meeting; staff and the applicant were instructed to work together to bring back consistent plans and responses to the commission’s specific questions.
