Commissioners approve rezoning of 2 acres near Dupont despite resident concerns about lights, view and dumping

The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners voted Feb. 6 to adopt Ordinance No. 2025-03, changing a two-acre parcel at 1000 North State Road 7 in Dupont from R-1/AG (residential/agricultural) to GB (general business).

The change applies to Parcel 39-04-09-000-015.000-005 and was adopted after the board moved to forgo the second and third readings and then approved the ordinance by voice vote. A county engineer and a nearby resident spoke during the public hearing at the commissioners’ meeting.

The zoning change matters because it clears the way for a commercial building on land that has been part of a larger agricultural holding; the applicant intends to develop two acres for a store and related parking. Will McDonough, who identified himself as the engineer for the project, told the board the planned site will include a roughly 650-foot perimeter privacy fence and landscaping along the frontage, and that building-mounted ‘‘wall packs’’ will be down-lit. ‘‘This is a 6-foot tall, vinyl [privacy fence],’’ McDonough said, and he described the lighting as ‘‘full cut off’’ and aimed downward so ‘‘you shouldn’t have much light pollution.’’ He also said the proposed building height is about 23 feet.

A neighbor who said he lives adjacent to the property raised repeated concerns about visual impact, light at night and possible dumping and animals being abandoned on the site. The resident asked whether the fence would run the full length of the rear property line, whether parking-lot lighting would be pole-mounted and how tall the store’s sign would be. McDonough responded that any pole lighting would likely be limited to one or two poles and that signage would be about 16 feet tall; he estimated the center of the proposed store would sit roughly 900 to 1,000 feet from the resident’s house. The resident also asked whether the rezoning would enable additional commercial development on the remaining acreage; county staff and the project representative said the rezoning before the board applied only to the two-acre parcel, and that any additional commercial zoning would require separate applications and approvals.

Commissioners stated the Jefferson County Plan Commission had already held a public hearing and issued a favorable recommendation. Following the presentation and public comment, a commissioner moved to forgo the second and third readings of Ordinance 2025-03; another commissioner seconded that motion and the board approved it by voice vote. The board then moved to approve Ordinance 2025-03 and passed the ordinance by voice vote.

The meeting record does not specify an effective date for the ordinance, nor does it include any final site-plan or permit approvals; those steps will follow through the county planning and permitting process.

Residents and prospective developers seeking more detail should consult the county planning office for the official parcel record, site plan and any subsequent permit filings.