The Washington County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a future land-use map amendment requested by Jason Jones to change 37.05 acres at 5641 Porter Pond Road from conservation to agriculture/silviculture.

Staff presented the request and the applicant's survey, noting the parcel is located in the county's southeast and is accessed via Porter Pond Road off Strickland Road and Highway 20. Planning staff said the parcel is a "cut out" from a larger tract and cited an adjacent parcel recently changed from conservation to agriculture/silviculture in December.

"This is our future land use map and the dark green is conservation, the light green is agriculture silviculture," a planning staff member said while presenting the map. Staff said the neighborhood information meeting was held on Dec. 19; the applicant and his family attended, and one neighbor who lives across the creek did not oppose the amendment. Staff recommended approval and said the commission's recommendation would be transmitted to the Board of County Commissioners, which is scheduled to hear the case on Jan. 16.

Applicant Jason Jones told the commission he purchased the property in October and said his family's intent is to build one house and possibly a barn. Jones described the parcel as deep (about 2,500 feet) and said roughly 12 acres in the back of the larger parcel are in a flood zone adjacent to Econfina Creek, but the area where he intends to build is outside the mapped flood zones.

"This is my family. We purchased this property from the canoe rental people, mister and miss Gay, and, it was in October. I thought I did my due diligence because we wanted to build a house there," Jones told the commission. He said he did not learn of the conservation designation until attempting to obtain an electrical permit, when he was shown the future land-use map.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about access (via Strickland Road) and the location of ponds on the survey. Planning staff and the applicant discussed the location of building areas relative to mapped flood zones and noted that the applicant plans to build closer to Porter Pond Road and away from the creek and the mapped floodplain.

The commission moved to accept staff's recommendation. On roll call the commission recorded yes votes from District 1 Commissioner Roger Hagen; District 2 (recorded as Richard Cooney in the packet); District 3 Commissioner Michelle Cook; District 5 Commissioner Jared Highet; and Member-at-Large Chairman John Gay; District 4 Commissioner Carl Owens and the school board representative Kyle Newsome were excused. The motion passed and will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final consideration on Jan. 16.

Chairman John Gay commented directly to the applicant after the vote: "You get your house. Assuming you pass the building department. And the county commissioners, but I don't think that would be a problem." That comment was recorded immediately after the commission vote; it does not substitute for the county commission's review.

The record shows staff will provide relevant maps and flood-zone information to the county commission and to the applicant; final permits and approvals remain contingent on subsequent county and building-department reviews.