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Henry County commissioners approve rezoning for Downton Road property, owner warns further delay could cost sale
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Summary
The board voted 3-0 to adopt ordinance rezoning 04/2288 for a Downton Road parcel after the owner, Robert Meadows, urged approval so a prospective buyer could secure financing; planning staff noted the applicant would still need a Conditional Administrative Use review for certain operations.
Henry County commissioners approved ordinance rezoning 04/2288 on April 22, voting 3-0 to change the zoning of a parcel on Downton Road to general business to accommodate a prospective buyer's financing requirements. The motion was made by Commissioner (speaker 2) and seconded by Chair (speaker 1).
The rezoning item was introduced by planning staff (speaker 3), who said the property has long been used for several commercial purposes but was never rezoned correctly. Staff told commissioners that certain uses would still require a Conditional Administrative Use (CAU) permit and that CAU review would address traffic, waste disposal and other operational concerns. Planning staff also advised that because the proposal had already been advertised and heard by the planning commission, the classification could not be changed without restarting the public-notice process. As planning staff put it, “I don't think you can change it at this point because it's been advertised, and there's been a plan commission hearing on it.” (Staff member (speaker 6)).
Owner Robert Meadows addressed the board and described the prospective buyer as a truck operator who runs a route between Pendleton and Columbus and who has obtained bank approval and $100,000 in cash toward the purchase. Meadows said he had invested in the property and warned that additional delays could cost the sale: “If you postpone this thing anymore, I'm gonna lose the buyer,” he said. Meadows said the buyer would apply for a CAU if needed and that he expected the buyer to address neighbors' concerns, including a privacy fence.
Commissioners debated whether correcting a long-standing mismatch between actual use and zoning was appropriate or whether a more restrictive local-business classification would better protect nearby residences. One commissioner argued local-business zoning “blends in better to the area,” while another said the board was, in part, correcting a decades-old oversight. Planning staff noted that if the plan commission denies a CAU, rules generally prevent bringing the same application back for a year without material changes.
The board ultimately approved the rezoning ordinance 04/2288, with the record showing a 3-0 vote. The approval changes the parcel's zoning designation but does not remove the requirement that certain operations obtain a CAU or other permits; those reviews will govern traffic, fencing and site-specific mitigation.
