Smyth County panels recommend exempting county-owned solid-waste sites from zoning rules

Smyth County — At a joint public hearing on Sept. 26, 2024, the Smyth County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors amend Section 4-8 of the county Zoning Ordinance to exempt county-owned public facilities, including solid waste convenience stations, from specified local zoning restrictions.

Clegg Williams, Assistant County Administrator — Development, read the proposed amendment into the record and said the change is prompted by the need to relocate several county-owned convenience stations to lots that do not meet the Ordinance’s minimum lot-size requirements. "Any County owned public facility, including solid waste, and any public utility used solely for local distribution..." Williams read when describing the proposed text.

Planning Commission member David Spence moved to recommend approval of the amendment; Lea Meadows seconded the motion. The Commission approved the recommendation with six votes in favor and one absence (Robert Campbell was recorded absent). The amended text clarifies that county-owned public facilities would not be subject to the Ordinance’s restrictions while reserving compliance requirements for major public utility installations such as generating stations and high-voltage towers.

Zoning Administrator Becca Creasy and Chair Hazel Wagoner noted there were no citizens present for the public hearing. The record shows the joint hearing was called to order by Board Chair Charles Atkins and Planning Commission Chair Hazel Wagoner and closed at about 7:26 p.m.

The Planning Commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the Smyth County Board of Supervisors for its consideration under the county’s standard ordinance-adoption process.