Madison County planning panel recommends rezoning to allow accessory dwelling at Duffield Martin Road

Madison County Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Kenova Scott opened a public hearing and the commission recommended approval of a rezoning request that would allow an existing accessory dwelling unit to remain occupied by the applicant’s son.

The application from Stacy Duffel seeks to rezone about 7.35 acres at 1206 Duffield Martin Road (Map 93, Partial 17, District 4) so the accessory dwelling unit may continue to be used as living quarters. "I'm Stacy Duffel, and I was just trying to, keep my son living up there in that little while while I get in compliance with the with y'all and everything else," Duffel said during the hearing.

Staff described the site as a larger mobile-home principal dwelling with a separate shop of roughly 2,400 square feet, and said 864 square feet of that shop is being used as living space. Under the ordinance staff cited, the property owner must occupy the principal dwelling, which staff and several commissioners interpreted as the larger structure on the parcel. Commissioners questioned whether the ordinance’s measurement should count only dedicated living area or the full footprint of the shop; staff said the cited rule focuses on dwelling size and living area but noted the shop’s total footprint in their description.

No members of the public spoke in opposition during the hearing. After discussion, a motion to recommend approval carried, with the commission recording a 4–1 vote in favor. The panel emphasized that it is a recommending body; the application will be presented to the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 2 for final action.

The commission’s recommendation includes the record that the accessory living quarters measure 864 square feet within a 2,400-square-foot shop structure; the commission asked the Board of Commissioners to clarify how footprint versus living area should be treated if the record is contested.