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Board denies request to expand truck parking at Highway 11 after planning commission opposition
Summary
The Newton County Board of Commissioners denied a conditional‑use permit to expand truck parking at 53 S. Highway 11, citing planning commission recommendations, nearby residential concerns and prior conditions on the site; the denial was unanimous.
The Newton County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to deny a request to expand a truck‑parking terminal at 53 South Highway 11, a property that previously received conditional approvals for truck dispatch.
Development services staff outlined the petition’s history: a truck‑dispatch use on the larger parcel was approved in 2012 with conditions, and a 2023 application to add long‑term truck parking had been denied by both the planning commission and the board. Staff said the current proposal sought to add gravel parking for about 105 trucks on a separate, landlocked parcel and requested a reduced buffer from an adjacent residential zoning from 500 feet to 50 feet.
Proponents including attorney John Nicks, representing owner Tommy Breedlove, proposed limiting the new approval to three years, capping the expansion to 50 additional parking spaces and adding conditions that no new structures be erected. “He’s asking for 50 more,” Nicks said, noting the owner’s existing, well‑screened operation and contending the addition would help the owner hold property until market conditions change.
Opponents raised traffic, runoff and noise concerns. Dan Moore, a local truck‑parking operator, told commissioners the county raised the minimum separation requirement for truck parking from 75 feet to 500 feet in recent years and urged the county to hold to the larger buffer. He said reducing the buffer to 50 feet “would be a slap in the face to other people that are trying to do the same thing.”
Why it matters: Staff noted the property lies within the Brick Store overlay and Bear Creek watershed and that the site plan included unpermitted graveling already performed on the parcel. The requested buffer reduction would require a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals if the board approved rezoning or the conditional use.
Outcome: After public comment and staff recommendations, Commissioner Shaina Applewhite (via staff presentation) moved to deny CUP25‑000002; the board approved the denial unanimously. No changes were made to the existing dispatch operation authorized by earlier approvals.
