Jasper County council reviews proposed U Haul Overlay, debates new Village Commercial rules and legal risks

Jasper County planners presented a revised ordinance for the U Haul/Overlake Overlay District at a county council workshop, proposing to remove the RP 10 district, introduce a new Village Commercial (VC) base zone and impose new design and environmental standards across the overlay.

Lisa, a county planning staff member, told the council the draft narrows allowed uses in Village Commercial (VC) to smaller-scale commercial activity by removing forestry and elementary/secondary schools (because principal structures in VC are limited to 2,500 square feet in heated floor area). The draft would allow business and technical-training schools as conditional uses, add professional, scientific and management offices, and limit accessory buildings to a combined 1,500 square feet per property. Planner staff also clarified that parking standards remain in Article 12 and were not changed in the VC proposal.

Planners revised the ordinance’s wastewater language to distinguish single-family systems from multi-unit wastewater treatment systems. Under the draft, single-family advanced wastewater systems would have a 100-foot setback from wetlands, while multi‑unit systems would face a larger buffer in critical coastal areas (staff discussed a 400‑foot figure used in the overlay and noted some critical-area setbacks remain greater). To aid existing property owners, the ordinance adds a septic-reserve-area exemption (8.9.4.2.b) allowing the Development Services Director (DSR) to grant relief based on lot size, natural features or other physical constraints; administrative adjustments of up to 20% of a numerical standard would also be available under the nonconforming-lot provisions (8.9.5).

The draft adds…