Rankin County Planning Commission schedules hearings for six land-use requests

The Rankin County Planning Commission on Oct. 2 scheduled public hearings for six land-use requests, including a 25-foot variance for a church addition, two conditional-use permit applications, two business-use conditional permits and a four-acre mining exemption.

Planning staff presented the items during the commission’s new-considerations segment. Brian, a planning staff member, summarized each application: Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church is seeking “a 25 foot variance to construct a 3,500 square foot addition at 127 Spring Hill Drive” on a 25.1-acre parcel zoned R1B and has unanimously agreed to deed 40 feet of property to the county as right of way; Twanda Green requested a conditional-use permit to place a manufactured home on a 5-acre parcel on Andrew Chapel Road and provided a doctor’s letter describing hardship following the recent death of her spouse; Thomas Ainsworth applied for a conditional-use permit to operate a used car lot limited to three vehicles at 822 Bethel Road on a 3.1-acre RA1 parcel; Diane Owens applied for a conditional-use permit to operate an after-school center at 287 McCullough McLenn Road for children ages 5–12 with proposed hours 2:30 p.m.–6 p.m. on school days (and extended hours on holidays and summer); Donna Burks applied to operate a short-term rental at 372 Swan Drive (a two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,120-square-foot house); KLF Farms LLC applied for a conditional-use permit to mine four acres of a 100-acre A1 parcel on Highway 18 and has applied for a 4-acre notice of exemption from MDEQ.

Commission members voted to set items 1 and 2 for public hearing Oct. 6 and to set items 3, 4, 5 and 6 for Oct. 15. The motions passed with an affirmative voice vote. No rezoning was proposed for the used-car request; staff explained the use requires a conditional-use review because surrounding parcels are residential or agricultural.

Commissioners and staff discussed several specifics — for example, staff noted the church’s proposed deed of right-of-way is intended to allow the road to be moved away from the building in the future, and commissioners asked about posting, notice and whether state permits would be needed for the mining request. Applicants attended or were represented; where hardship documentation was required (manufactured home), staff confirmed a doctor’s letter was on file.

The commission did not act on the merits of any application at the Oct. 2 meeting; it only scheduled the public hearings. Each applicant will appear at the listed hearing to present evidence and respond to public comment.

Votes at a glance: motions to set hearings for items 1–6 (scheduling votes only).