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Spencer County Fiscal Court removes ban on shipping containers, approves two zoning map changes
Summary
Spencer County Fiscal Court voted Sept. 4 to recommend removing Section 807 — a county zoning prohibition on shipping/storage containers — and approved two zoning map amendments for properties on Hardesty Ridge Road and Mt. Washington Road, following planning commission recommendations.
Spencer County Fiscal Court voted Sept. 4 to recommend removing a county zoning prohibition on shipping and portable storage containers and approved two separate zoning map amendments.
Judge-Executive Scott Travis and planning officials described uses for shipping containers in agricultural settings, including storage for feed and tack. Planning participant Mrs. Sweazy said several containers currently sit inside historic tobacco barns and are not visible from roads. Magistrate Esq. Pharris and others said a revised ordinance should allow agricultural uses while limiting visual clutter in residential areas.
On a motion by Esq. Cotton, seconded by Esq. Eldridge, the court passed a resolution recommending that the Spencer County Planning and Zoning Commission initiate an amendment to remove Section 807 of Article VIII — which had prohibited the outside use of storage/shipping containers — and to review the issue with stakeholders including property owners and agricultural representatives.
The court also approved two zoning requests that had been before the planning commission. On a motion by Esq. Stump, the court approved a map amendment for the Hilda Franklin Estate reclassifying portions of a parcel at 2215 Hardesty Ridge Road from AG-1 (agricultural) to R-1 (residential) and to AG-2 for two other tracts, based on the commission’s findings. The court approved a second application — for Travis and Greta Vires at 3295 Mt. Washington Road — to rezone a 9.276-acre tract from AG-1 to AG-2, contingent on the applicant providing a new plat showing an easement for ingress and egress through an adjoining tract. Both motions carried on voice votes with all members present.
The court’s resolution directs the Planning & Zoning Commission to consult stakeholders and return recommended regulatory language; the resolution takes effect immediately upon passage. The court recorded the ordinance and resolution in its meeting packet.
What happens next: Planning staff and the commission are expected to draft specific ordinance language and present it for public review. The court’s resolution does not itself amend the zoning code; it directs the zoning body to start the formal amendment process.
