Cusseta–Chattahoochee commission approves five conditional-use permits after public hearings; CUP process under review

The Commission of the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County unanimously approved five conditional-use permits following public hearings on Feb. 24 and a called meeting on Feb. 27, the minutes show. The permits cleared by the commission were for: 201 Massey Road (applicants Mia and Derico Countryman), 711 GA Highway 26 (Julie and Jerome Wooten), 109 Nelson Street (Sierra Smith), 136 Patty Drive (Curtis Stroud Jr.) and a 1.35-acre carve‑out from 454 Old Louvale Road (Walter Miller).

Planning & Zoning had recommended approval for each application, generally conditioned on health-department septic clearance and compliance with county codes. At the Feb. 24 public hearings Planning & Zoning Chair Brent Ingersoll explained why several applications required CUP review: “the only reason why it required a conditional use permit … was because it doesn't meet the state's one-acre lot requirement for septic,” he told the commission.

Applicants described their plans and said they had taken steps toward compliance. Julie Wooten said she and her husband already had power, water and septic work underway and were preparing to place a mobile home; Sierra Smith said the existing stick-built house at 109 Nelson Street is deteriorated and unsafe and she intends to remove it and install a mobile home. No substantial opposition was recorded in the public-comment sign-in sheets for these hearings.

The Feb. 27 called meeting recorded unanimous formal approvals and noted several standard conditions: approvals remain subject to final plat signing by Planning & Zoning, permitting by the county, and health-department inspections where septic systems are involved. Motions and seconders recorded in the called meeting minutes include the Walter Miller motion (mover: Commissioner Timothy Biddle; seconder: Commissioner Jason Frost) and similar unanimous motions for the other four permits.

The county’s work session on Feb. 24 included a longer policy discussion about how the CUP ordinance is written and applied. Commissioners and Planning & Zoning members said the current language had the unintended effect of routing many manufactured‑home replacements through the CUP process. Chairman Charles Coffey warned about perceptions of fairness and legal exposure: he said the commission must be consistent in approvals and avoid ad hoc exceptions. Commissioner Timothy Biddle expressed similar caution about potential litigation and fiscal exposure tied to legal challenges.

What happens next: approved applicants must complete required county permitting and any health‑department checks. Planning & Zoning and the county attorney were directed to review zoning-code language and return with clarifications or proposed ordinance edits; no code changes were adopted at the Feb. 24 or Feb. 27 meetings.

The commission’s minutes show the action was framed as permitting property owners to bring dwellings into conformance while preserving procedural safeguards: final approvals depend on meeting technical requirements such as setback, septic clearance and building permits.

Closing note: the commission’s votes were unanimous at the Feb. 27 called meeting; the minutes record that approvals were subject to the administrative steps noted above and that no votes were taken in closed executive sessions referenced elsewhere in the February meeting record.