Stephens County planning commission recommends approvals for two rezonings and two variances, forwarding items to commissioners

The Stephens County Planning Commission on a public hearing night reviewed four land-use requests and recommended approval of two rezonings and two variances, forwarding all recommendations to the full Board of Commissioners for final consideration on March 24, according to remarks at the meeting.

Staff introduced the first item as a rezoning request from Larry and Charlotte Burns for Parcel 071 K 090 at 57 Calico Estates Martin. Staff said the request would rezone one acre from residential multi to residential single so it can be combined with an adjacent lot; staff recommended approval and the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote. The commission noted that its action is a recommendation and that the Board of Commissioners must give final approval.

A second agenda item was a variance request from Melissa Dover for Parcel 029 D 054 at 9 Pheasant Mountain Road. Staff explained the lot fronts on two streets and therefore is subject to minimum front-yard setbacks from both streets; Chapter 59, Article 8, Section 59-803 establishes a 40-foot front-yard setback for residential-single zoning, so the owner sought a variance to place a 30-by-30 metal accessory structure on an existing pad poured about 20 years ago. Staff recommended approval; no public speakers opposed or supported the item, and the commission approved the variance by voice vote.

The commission then considered a variance for a property in the Travelers Point subdivision (parcel listed as 049 D 035). Staff said lakefront lots in the area often cannot site accessory structures in rear yards because of Army Corps of Engineers setback lines and local topography. Staff cited precedent in the neighborhood (addresses given in the record) and recommended granting the variance to allow an accessory structure in the front yard; the commission approved the recommendation. During discussion the Chair observed this was the second front-yard accessory-structure request of the night and several commissioners and staff indicated they may propose ordinance adjustments to ease restrictions for certain lakefront lots.

The final land-use item was a rezoning request from Stephen and Teresa Holbrooks for Parcel 33170 at 137 Old Mizer Road. Staff characterized the area as low-density with agricultural uses and said the requested agricultural-residential zoning would be compatible; staff recommended approval and the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote.

All four items were recorded as approved by the planning commission by voice vote; the transcript does not provide roll-call tallies or named mover/second information. The Chair reminded the body that planning commission approvals are recommendations that must be ratified by the Board of Commissioners, and staff noted that the Board of Commissioners meeting on March 24 will consider these items.

Clarifying details from the hearing record: the Burns rezoning involved one acre to be rezoned from residential multi to residential single; the Dover variance proposed a 30-by-30 metal garage on an existing pad and cited the county’s 40-foot front-yard setback requirement; the Travelers Point variance cited Army Corps of Engineers setback constraints and listed nearby properties with similar front-yard structures; staff repeatedly stated their recommendation to approve each request. The meeting transcript records that the county is working on broader land-use ordinance updates to address ag-intensive categories and lakefront-specific issues, but staff said the timing has slipped due to competing priorities at the general assembly.

The Planning Commission’s recommendations will be transmitted to the Board of Commissioners for final action; the commission identified March 24 as the date the county board will consider these recommendations. No final county-level decisions were recorded in this meeting.