Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning staff recommends review of legacy-use request for restored 1950s general store on Union Hill Road
Summary
Owners of a restored J.B. Mathis General Store on Union Hill Road requested a legacy-use designation to operate a coffee house and gift shop; the application seeks variances to reduce required parking and avoid a deceleration lane while preserving the building’s historic footprint.
Owners John and LaChelle Thompson asked Cherokee County on April 15 to approve a legacy-use designation for a restored 1950s general store at 4651 Union Hill Road to operate a coffee house and gift shop, and to grant two concurrent variances related to parking and the roadway.
Planning staff told commissioners the building was constructed in the 1950s as the J.B. Mathis General Store and remains a single-story, roughly 1,200-square-foot cinder-block structure. Staff said the property’s historical ties include the nearby Union Hill Community Church and the former Union Hill Elementary School; LaChelle Thompson is a descendant of J.B. Mathis and lives adjacent to the property.
Under the legacy‑use criteria in Article 13 of the county zoning ordinance, staff noted several conditions must be met: the structure must predate Jan. 1, 1969; proposed uses must be permitted by neighborhood‑commercial classifications; exterior design must complement the historic character; and the use may not expand the historic structure by more than 25%.
The applicant proposes no expansion of the building. Staff said the site plan shows about 3,000 square feet of added parking (the site previously had no formal parking), and the applicants request to reduce required parking from 12 spaces to 9 and to waive a required deceleration lane. Staff noted providing parking would bring the property more into compliance with current zoning standards and that the renovation preserved interior features such as original floors and windows.
Commissioners asked whether a legacy use would run with the property or be limited to the current operator; staff said the ordinance allows the board to limit approval to a named business (for example, We2Friends Coffee House) or to permit a use that runs with the land. Commissioners also emphasized the 25% expansion limit as a guardrail to preserve the building’s historic scale.
Why this matters: The county’s legacy‑use mechanism is intended to preserve local historic commercial uses and reduce pressure for commercial rezoning in rural-character areas while allowing adaptive reuse of historic structures.
No final decision was recorded during the work session; the matter proceeded to a public hearing for full consideration.
