Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Special Exception topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ben Hill County approves special exception for cargo-trailer customization over neighbors' objections
Summary
Ben Hill County commissioners approved a Special Exception allowing cargo-trailer customization and limited repair at a rural Bowens Mill property despite neighbor concerns about traffic and livestock in a 3-2 vote. The applicant said operations would run 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and produce about two to three trailers every one to two weeks.
Ben Hill County commissioners voted Feb. 6 to approve a Special Exception permitting Cargo Trailer Customization & Sales at a Bowens Mill Highway property after a public hearing that drew both the applicant and neighboring residents.
The motion to approve, made by Commissioner John Mooney and seconded by Vice-Chair Hope Harmon, passed with Mooney, Vice-Chair Harmon and Chairman Steve Taylor voting in favor and Commissioners Bennie Calloway and Daniel Cowan opposed.
Jacob Hughes, the county building and zoning official, said he reviewed the application and found the site suitable for the proposed business: the property includes enclosed workshops, sits a safe distance from the highway, and—per Hughes—“should not adversely affect the existing use or usability of this property or adjacent properties.” Hughes also noted that current zoning allows onsite utility-trailer sales but that manufacturing and repair require a Special Exception.
Applicant Irma Rodrigues Rivera told the commission she and her husband are “just trying to make a better living for our family,” said planned hours would be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and estimated they would customize two to three trailers every one to two weeks. She said she owns 14 acres and could move the work toward the back of the property if location proves problematic.
Neighbors spoke in opposition. Alaine Cook said she owns the adjacent parcel and plans to build a home and keep livestock; she asked the commission to maintain agricultural zoning and expressed concern about additional traffic. Iris Ramirez said she opposed the request because of increased traffic and safety risks for small children who play outside and described the area as quiet; she asked that the zoning remain agricultural.
County Attorney Nick Kinsley advised that if the applicant changes the specific location of the operation on her property, she would need to submit a new Special Exception application for that location.
The commission took the vote under its Old Business agenda and approved the Special Exception as recorded in the meeting minutes. The record does not show any conditions attached to the approval; neighbors may pursue other remedies in accord with local procedures but no appeal or permit condition was stated in the minutes.
What happens next: The Special Exception is approved per the recorded vote; any later change in site or expanded activity would require additional review or a new application, the county attorney said.
