Council refers request to rezone 113 Common Street to planning commission

Anderson City Council voted unanimously to refer a petition to rezone 113 Common Street from R-20 (20,000-square-foot minimum lots) to R-10 (10,000-square-foot minimum lots) so the owner can subdivide the parcel and build two single-family houses.

The change was sent to the Planning Commission for review and recommendation; the hearing is scheduled for March 4. Maurice McKenzie, the city’s plan development director, told the council the property is “just under three quarters of an acre” and that the applicant seeks to return the parcel to an earlier configuration that once consisted of two lots.

McKenzie said the subdivided lots would be just over 15,000 square feet with a width of about 70 feet, which would not meet R-20 minimums but would conform to R-10 standards. He advised the council that several neighboring parcels are already smaller than the R-20 minimum and are therefore technically nonconforming.

Councilmembers did not debate the policy at length. Councilmember Steele moved to refer the petition to the Planning Commission; Councilmember John Roberts seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The referral does not rezone the property; it directs the Planning Commission to hold a public review and send a recommendation back to the council. McKenzie told the council staff will include neighborhood context and zoning comparisons in the Planning Commission packet and suggested that a broader zoning-code review later in the year could address similar parcels in the area.

The council’s referral preserves the applicant’s ability to pursue subdivision only if the commission and council later approve the rezoning.