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Planning commission reviews multiple rezoning requests, including ADU rezone to regularize existing dwelling
Summary
Planning staff presented several rezone applications to convert parcels into AR zoning so accessory dwelling units and small lot splits meet local minimums; staff flagged one existing ADU as noncompliant after a code-enforcement complaint and said rezoning to AR or curing the violation is required before approval.
Planning staff on the Madison County Planning & Zoning Commission reviewed a set of rezoning requests intended to bring existing residential configurations into alignment with county zoning requirements.
Miss Price, a planning staff member, summarized an application from Stacy Duffel seeking to rezone 7.35 acres at 1206 Duffel Martin Road in Comer (Map 93, Parcel 17, District 4) from A2 to AR so that an existing accessory dwelling unit (ADU) occupied by his son can remain in use. Staff said the property contains a 1,344-square-foot manufactured home where the owner lives and a 2,400-square-foot “barndominium” of which about 864 square feet is occupied by the son. Under the county’s rules as presented at the meeting, the AT zone requires a 10-acre minimum for ADUs while AR requires only four acres.
"If rezoned, the ADU will meet all guidelines because the property owner lives in the larger manufactured home and the accessory unit is smaller," Miss Price said. Staff added the ADU was identified after a code-enforcement complaint and described it as illegal under the current zoning until the parcel is rezoned or the violation is cured.
Commissioners discussed how to determine the principal dwelling — whether by total footprint or by heated/livable area — and emphasized the need for a clear, consistent measurement rule for future cases. One commissioner suggested counting heated area only to avoid ambiguity; another warned that inconsistent interpretations could raise equity concerns in future decisions.
Staff also presented related requests to rezone acreage for Hailey Carey (to create a 5-acre AR home site out of a larger A1 tract) and for paired lot splits involving Renee Buchanan and Andrew McKinnon, where small parcels would be combined with adjoining acreage to meet the AR four-acre minimum. Planning staff said the AR rezonings were consistent with the county’s comp plan for rural conservation areas and noted that some of the lot-split approvals are contingent on each other.
No final board action on the rezoning requests was recorded in the transcript; several items were scheduled to proceed to the public hearing set for Jan. 20. Planning staff flagged enforcement questions and said applicants would be notified of options, including withdrawing the application to cure violations before resubmitting.
