Pickens County planning panel approves three staff-recommended rezonings
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Summary
The Pickens County Planning Commission unanimously approved three staff-recommended rezoning requests — RZ191024, RZ191034 and RZ191040 — to create residential lots and regularize existing structures, following brief staff presentations and limited public comment.
The Pickens County Planning Commission on [date not specified] approved three staff-recommended rezonings that will create new single-family lots and regularize existing structures.
Staff planner Charles presented RZ191024, proposing to rezone a 1.55-acre portion of an 8.27-acre parcel at 494 Hill City Road (Parcel 040081) from agricultural (AG) to rural residential (RR) to create a buildable single-family lot. Charles told the commission the remaining roughly 6.77 acres should be combined with an adjoining tract to maintain a conforming AG lot. Applicant Howard (identified in staff materials as Howard Falamont and in public testimony as Howard Lewis Valmont) answered commission questions about the split and confirmed the parcel would be completed to code if approved. The commission moved to approve the staff recommendation and the motion carried.
Two additional rezonings were approved with similar, largely procedural discussion. RZ191034 (applicant Tina Davis Thomason) would change a roughly 6.339-acre parcel at 486 Big Ridge Road from Small AG to Rural Residential to allow subdivision into two single-family lots; staff recommended that an existing 6,000-square-foot garage building be permitted as a dwelling on subdivision. RZ191040 (applicant Wesley Abcott) would reclassify a 12.81-acre tract on Cold Road from AG to Small AG to split the property between family members into two lots (approximately 6.65 and 5.03 acres). In both cases planners said the proposed changes align with the Pickens County Comprehensive Plan's rural-residential and conservation-area designations.
The approvals were procedural and carried without extended debate after staff confirmed required conditions. No formal vote tallies were read into the record; the chair called for hands and declared the motions carried.
Next steps: Each approved rezoning will be forwarded with the commission's recommendation to the Board of Commissioners for final action per county procedures. Where staff required follow-up (for example permitting an existing structure), applicants were instructed to complete permits and meet applicable building-code and environmental-health requirements.
