DeKalb County BZA approves use variance for Cedar Creek Sawmill with conditions

The DeKalb County Board of Zoning Appeals on an evening meeting approved a use variance requested by Cedar Creek Sawmill to operate a sawmill with lumber processing and wood-box manufacturing on a parcel north of County Road 56 near State Road 1 in Saint Joe.

The variance allows the petitioner to install a 150-by-100-foot wood shop (about 15,000 square feet), two 40-by-200-foot lumber storage areas, a 36-by-48 engine room, a 30-by-40 staff room and a 20-by-30 office, plus a sawdust silo and supporting gravel areas, according to the staff report presented to the board.

Planning staff presented the site plan and said the property is zoned A2 (agricultural), where the Unified Development Ordinance does not permit commercial lumber processing. The staff report noted a similar use was approved in May 2018 about 1¼ miles to the west and recommended approval with conditions. Staff also told the board that county drainage board approval and a county surveyor replat would be required before permits could be issued.

Mark Graber, the petitioner, told the board he plans to operate with enclosed dust collection equipment and a silo system to auger sawdust, saying the operation would be a “totally controlled dust environment.” He said proposed hours are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week, and that no exterior lighting is proposed.

Neighbors and board members discussed landscaping buffers. Graber offered to plant evergreen screening—described in the plan as ‘‘red rocket’’ evergreens—along County Road 56 and, if neighbors desired, on the adjacent property lines. The board added a condition allowing the east- and west-side perimeter trees to be reduced or omitted if affected neighbors provide written sign-off; the rows along the road were required.

The board’s approval includes conditions read into the record: continuing jurisdiction by the BZA to ensure compliance; approval limited to a sawmill with lumber processing and wood-box manufacturing and the structures described in the site plan; submission and approval of a drainage plan by the DeKalb County surveyor and drainage board before permits; approval and recording of a replat of the parent parcel (with some flexibility on acreage); a prohibition on obstructing off-site drainage; and completion of any requirements from county agencies (Board of Health, Highway Department, Soil and Water Conservation District, Airport Authority as applicable) before certificate of occupancy or completion is issued. The board also required the petitioner to return to the BZA for approval if additional buildings or significant expansions are proposed.

During public comment, Ted Hansen of 5812 State Road 1 asked whether his farm could be rezoned in the future; staff explained that a variance does not rezone the property and that any rezoning would require a separate application. Staff clarified that the A2 zoning would remain and that an exception allows the specific use without changing the overall zoning classification.

A motion to approve petition 25-01 was made and seconded; roll-call votes recorded Jason Carnahan, Andrew Provines and Frank Culver voting "yes," and the motion carried.

The board noted additional procedural steps the petitioner must complete with county agencies before building permits can be released, including drainage-board approvals and any health-department requirements for commercial septic or temporary sanitary facilities.

The petitioner and staff were directed to coordinate the replat and drainage submissions with county offices and to provide the BZA with any required neighbor sign-offs regarding buffering.