Planning commission recommends rezoning to resolve nonconforming lot and allow subdivision at Green Settlement Road

The Jones County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval June 24 of a rezoning request to allow subdivision of a 2.91‑acre parcel at 605 Green Settlement Road.

Applicant Barbara Baker told the commission she formerly owned a larger tract and later sold portions; she described multiple mobile homes and structures placed over time and recounted permitting history. "At one time, I owned 17 acres," Baker said, explaining that subsequent sales and plats left a parcel with multiple existing homes and that she received permits to replace units. Baker asked the commission to rezone the parcel so it can be lawfully subdivided.

A county planner explained the problem: when the applicant previously presented a subdivision plat in 2014, the placement of existing homes was not shown on the plat, which resulted in a 3‑acre lot with two homes and therefore an illegal lot under current rules. The planner said the county requires a 2‑acre minimum lot size in the agricultural district and that rezoning to RR (rural residential) — which allows a 1.1‑acre minimum — is a better long-term solution than a variance in this case.

Tony Brooks, who identified himself as Baker’s son, and others spoke in support. A board member moved to recommend approval, the commission voted to recommend the rezoning, and the presiding officer noted the county commissioners will make the final decision on July 1.

The transcript shows the rezoning is intended to correct a nonconforming lot created by prior subdivision paperwork; no specific final lot layouts or new addresses were approved at the commission level in this meeting, and the commission recorded the recommendation for the county commissioners to resolve the formal lot lines and addressing.