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Rankin County planning commission sets public hearings for rezoning on Highway 43 and variances at Castle Woods
Summary
The Rankin County Planning Commission scheduled public hearings for a county-initiated rezoning of a 7-acre parcel on Highway 43 South and for variance requests from the Vineyards at Castle Woods development, including fire-safety changes requested by the developer.
The Rankin County Planning Commission on Feb. 27 set public hearings to consider a county-initiated rezoning request for 379 Highway 43 South and a separate variance request from the Vineyards at Castle Woods development.
Planning staff said the Highway 43 parcel is about 7 acres and currently zoned A-2, and recommended reclassifying it to C-2 to better align with adjacent commercial uses near Interstate 20. “It is our assessment that a C-2 classification would better align with the property's intended use and surrounding development,” Planning Department staff said during the presentation.
Commissioners also heard a request from the Vineyards at Castle Woods to allow construction of a maintenance building, a fitness center and a trash compactor. The applicant asked for a 21-foot variance between the existing and proposed maintenance buildings and a 15-foot variance between an existing apartment building and the proposed fitness center; staff showed images indicating the proposed maintenance building would sit about 9 feet from an existing structure. Planning staff said the developer has agreed to install sprinklers in the new maintenance building at the fire department’s request.
The commission approved motions to set public hearings for both items. The rezoning for 379 Highway 43 South was set for March 3 at 9 a.m.; the Vineyards at Castle Woods variance request was scheduled for March 17 at 9 a.m. Commissioners voted “aye” on both procedural motions.
Why it matters: the rezoning would align county zoning at a high-traffic commercial corridor with existing development patterns near the Hillahatchee/Brandon area and Interstate 20. The variances sought by Vineyards at Castle Woods raise proximity and fire-safety questions that county staff said the applicant intends to address with sprinklers and materials matching existing buildings.
Meeting notes and next steps: both items will return at the posted public hearings, when members of the public and adjacent property owners may comment before the commission takes final action.
