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Marshall County BZA approves 12,000‑sq‑ft home workshop with conditions after neighbors raise noise and flood concerns
Summary
The Marshall County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a special-use permit for a 12,000-square-foot home workshop with conditions including drainage approval, restricted hours and no outside storage after neighbors objected to potential noise, dust and flood impacts.
The Marshall County Board of Zoning Appeals on Dec. 9 approved a special‑use permit allowing a home workshop and manufacturing operation up to 12,000 square feet on State Road 331, subject to several conditions intended to limit neighborhood impacts.
County staff introduced case 25BZA54 as a request to locate a wholesale woodworking business that manufactures hardwood molding and RV trim at a residence; the application proposed six employees, three delivery trips per week and hours of 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Staff recommended approval, while the technical review committee (TRC) had recommended tabling pending drainage clarifications.
Neighbors at the hearing raised concerns about the scale and the local effects. Jeremy Unzicker, who lives just north of the site, told the board: "This is not just an ordinary workshop. This is a factory in my eyes," citing an "industrial sized dust collector" and a "big generator" already on site. He asked whether the county required turn lanes, whether early‑morning operation would be allowed and whether the development would increase flooding risk and raise nearby property taxes.
County staff and the petitioner answered technical questions during the hearing. The petitioner said he intends to move existing operations to the home property and that dust will be collected and placed into a shavings trailer for removal; he acknowledged some fugitive dust escapes during operations. On the generator, the petitioner said they obtained a used Doosan unit and that it runs on natural gas and "has a pretty good muffler system on it." The unit was described in the record as "250 k," though the transcript did not specify the unit of measure.
Staff and residents focused repeatedly on drainage. Engineers prepared a roughly 30‑page drainage plan showing a detention pond and an outlet tile. County staff said a drainage plan approval by the county surveyor and the TRC — and any applicable state approvals — is required before the building permit can proceed. A nearby resident said, "When that ditch gets full ... those ditches back up, and they back up into my place," emphasizing cumulative flood concerns.
After discussion the board approved the special use by roll call with conditions: no outside storage on the parcel; drainage plan approval by the county surveyor/technical review committee (and state agencies as required); hours limited to 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.; no signage for the wholesale business; and orientation and muffling of the generator/exhaust to minimize impacts to neighboring homes. The board recorded affirmative votes from the commissioners and carried the motion.
The approval is limited by the explicit conditions; staff noted that if the TRC does not approve the drainage plan the building permit will not be finalized. The board also noted, based on past cases, that 12,000 square feet is at or near the maximum footprint it has allowed for a home‑based workshop under the county's ordinance.
The Board of Zoning Appeals moved to the next agenda item after the vote; the petitioner remains subject to the drainage and other requirements before full operation can begin.
