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Board approves 8-foot screening for G Curtis Properties, sets year-end deadline
Summary
The Morgan County Board of Zoning Appeals approved an 8-foot chain-link fence with slats and mesh as the screening required for G Curtis Properties LLC at 9680 North Little Point Road, and set a completion deadline of Dec. 31, 2025, after the applicant withdrew a concrete block proposal over drainage concerns.
The Morgan County Board of Zoning Appeals on Aug. 25 approved conditions for screening required as part of a use-variance condition for G Curtis Properties LLC at 9680 North Little Point Road in Adams Township, directing the company to install an 8-foot chain-link fence with slats and mesh and complete the work by Dec. 31, 2025.
The action resolves a carryover item from the board’s May 29, 2024, variance that required screening of salvage materials behind the property. Attorney Justin Bourne, representing G Curtis Properties LLC, told the board his client had originally proposed a concrete block wall but withdrew that plan after a drainage contractor concluded the wall would block stormwater and could cause “up to as much as 2 feet of water” to pond behind the site.
Bourne said the applicant’s revised, preferred solution is to remove existing 6-foot fencing in a highlighted northern section and replace it with a uniform 8-foot chain-link fence fitted with slats or mesh to screen the salvage material from motorists on the interstate. “This solution is a purely fence model, wherein we would have 8 foot of fence all along that northern side,” Bourne said.
Planning staff member Miss Parker told the board the proposed 8-foot fence would satisfy county screening requirements for the salvage operation in a B-3 zoning district and that, upon completion, she would sign the zoning affidavit the applicant needs to obtain a salvage license. “Yes. It would,” Parker said in response to whether the proposal would meet screening requirements.
Board members questioned the viability of concrete block along the north side of the property that slopes toward I-70. Multiple members and a drainage estimate in the applicant’s packet indicated that a block wall on the north side would act like a dam without substantial subsurface drainage work. Board member Moore said the blocks “will not work on the North side, period, unless you’ve done an awful lot of work and then drainage to go underneath the block.”
After discussion the board asked that the applicant install an 8-foot chain-link fence with slats (mesh) so the material is not visible, and complete the work before the end of calendar year 2025. A motion to approve petition U-24-02 with those conditions was made by a board member whose name was not specified in the transcript and seconded by Susan Fries; the board approved the motion by voice vote. The transcript records only the voice vote and the chair’s call for “aye”; a specific roll-call tally was not provided.
The board did not adopt any requirement tying the approved special screening to a particular schedule beyond the year-end completion date, and the applicant’s packet included a contractor estimate that sought an earlier completion date of Nov. 1, 2025; the board opted for Dec. 31, 2025. Staff will sign the zoning affidavit after staff verification that the installed screening meets the board’s conditions.
The screening requirement stems from the variance granted on May 29, 2024, and the board’s action on Aug. 25 resolves the outstanding compliance item by specifying materials, height, coverage (mesh/slats), and a firm completion deadline.
