Commission approves rezoning for wholesale cookie bakery with conditions

The Jefferson County Commission approved a rezoning to allow a wholesale cookie-bakery operation on a small unincorporated property near Rocky Bridal Road. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended amending the land-use plan and approving the rezoning with conditions intended to limit impacts on adjacent residences. Planning staff described the site history, noting the parcel had been zoned commercial (C-1) in the 1980s and was currently used as a residence. Previous proposals for other uses were denied after neighborhood opposition; in this instance the neighborhood’s leadership submitted a letter of support. The applicant’s site plan showed loading and parking oriented away from residences, a natural buffer along the residential boundary, downward-directed lighting and a prohibition on outside storage. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended limitations including hours of operation from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., no outside storage, a 30-foot maximum building height, maintenance in perpetuity of a buffer on Lot 2, and that Lot 2 be reserved for office use—staff recommended deleting the Lot 2 office-only restriction because it conflicted with the site plan and the “substantial performance” requirement tied to the approved site plan. The commission approved the rezoning with the staff-recommended edit and the listed conditions; a commissioner added a lighthearted request that the applicant deliver cookies to the meeting if the project is approved.