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Commission delays Jerome LLC rezoning after staff warns of groundwater and springs‑protection risks
Summary
The Marion County Planning & Zoning Commission continued a request from Jerome LLC to rezone a 0.48‑acre parcel to Heavy Business (B5) after staff said the property sits in the Primary Springs Protection Zone and B5 could threaten groundwater; staff recommended B2 with a special‑use permit as a less intensive alternative.
The Marion County Planning & Zoning Commission voted to continue a contested rezoning application from Jerome LLC to allow time for the applicant to work with staff on alternatives after staff advised the proposed Heavy Business (B5) zoning could threaten groundwater in the Primary Springs Protection Zone.
Growth Services planner Jared Rivera presented case 260402ZC, describing a roughly 0.48‑acre parcel in Anthony (parcel 14138‑000‑00) that the applicant seeks to rezone from single‑family R1 to Heavy Business B5 to align with an adjacent major site plan. Rivera told the commission the parcel lies inside the Primary Springs Protection Zone and that the county’s land‑development code restricts exclusive B5, M1 and M2 uses unless an owner can demonstrate no threat to groundwater quality. Staff concluded the requested B5 zoning is incompatible with surrounding residential uses and the comprehensive plan and recommended denial.
Applicant representative Ricardo Zelaya (Jiran J LLC / Alien Engineered Products) and owner Juan Juran said the rezoning would primarily allow additional parking, landscaping and drive aisles to support an existing 3.2‑acre metal fabrication operation on a neighboring parcel and to accommodate planned Phase 2 growth. Zelaya said the parcel would not house manufacturing and that any outdoor storage would be temporary prior to Phase 2, and the owner described current manufacturing of pressure vessels and projected employment growth from 17 to more than 27 workers.
Commissioners and staff pressed the applicant on whether B2 zoning combined with a special‑use permit (SUP) for outdoor storage could meet the business needs while offering stronger long‑term protection for groundwater and nearby residential areas. Tracy Straub, assistant county administrator, noted Marion County’s sensitive hydrology and warned that rezoning to B5 would confer rights that future owners could use for heavier industrial activity.
Given staff’s recommendation and the discussion, the applicant asked to continue the item so they could submit a B2 rezoning with an SUP or otherwise refine their application with staff. The commission granted a continuance to the next Planning & Zoning meeting; staff said a $500 fee and a timely application filing are required so public notice deadlines can be met.
Next steps: the applicant will work with Growth Services to determine whether to pursue a B2 rezoning with a concurrent SUP or to proceed to the Board of County Commissioners seeking B5; the commission’s recommendation and staff findings will travel with the record to the BCC.
