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Franklin County Commission approves rezoning of about 15.5 acres on Greenhall Road for industrial use
Summary
The Franklin County Commission approved a request to rezone roughly 15.5 acres on Greenhall Road to I-1 (industrial) to allow an office and shop tied to an existing quarry operation; nearby residents opposed the change, citing long-term environmental and property-value concerns.
The Franklin County Commission voted to approve rezoning roughly 15.55 acres on Greenhall Road on a motion approved by Commissioner Kelly and seconded by Commissioner Riddle; the motion carried 14 to 2. The parcel, listed on county property map 147 in District 10, will be rezoned to I-1 (industrial) to unify the existing industrial zoning on the larger parcel and permit an office and equipment shop for the quarry operation.
Residents who live adjacent to the quarry told the commission they oppose expanding industrial zoning. Neil Merritt, a Greenhall Road resident, cited the county zoning resolution’s purpose language and the I-1 provisions and urged the commission to require the quarry operator to “put things back as close as possible when you're done.” Kim Cunningham, a Greenhall Road homeowner, said she and her family bought a one-and-a-half-acre retirement property nearby and warned, “If this zone is changed, there's no light at the end of the tunnel for us.”
Clifton Miller, who identified himself as an agent for Tinsley, asked the commission to rezone a 15-acre portion along Greenhall Road so the company could build an office and a shop. Miller told the commission that the quarry and related operations have generated local revenue, saying last-year sales-tax figures showed $496,822 in sales tax with the county receiving $120,877 and $66,594 paid in severance tax. Miller said the operator accounted for roughly 73–79% of the county’s severance tax over the past three years and estimated that competition among local aggregate producers keeps prices $2–$4 per ton lower in Franklin County.
Eric Bradford, Franklin County planning director, told the commission that his office recommended approval to unify the zoning because the larger parcel already contains I-1 zoning for other portions. Bradford said a successful rezoning would be followed by a site plan and then a special-use review; the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals could impose additional landscaping or screening requirements at the site-plan or permit stage.
The commission’s approval makes the parcel uniformly I-1 industrial; county staff and applicants still must complete subsequent steps, including submission of a site plan and any required special-use permit reviews before buildings or new operations are authorized. During the hearing, Miller and planning staff discussed on-site landscaping and a vegetative screening buffer between road frontage and company buildings as part of future site planning.
The commission took the rezoning vote during the public hearing portion of its agenda and then moved on to other routine business items after the motion carried.
