Planning commission approves rezoning for 659 Angelia Drive in Oak Hill

The Planning, Land and Development Regulation Commission voted unanimously Dec. 28 to rezone a parcel at 659 Angelia Drive in Oak Hill from R-1 (single-family residential) to A-1 (rural residential).

Terry Mason, the applicant, identified himself as a resident of 659 Angelia Drive and told the commission he sought the change so his family could keep animals. “We have ducks. We have chickens. We have goats,” Mason said, adding that he had combined two partial lots to reach about 5.03 acres and planned to pursue an agricultural tax exemption.

Mason said city staff had received a letter from a person named Dennis expressing no objection and that county staffer Keith Stewart would perform a site visit in early January to assess eligibility for the exemption. Commissioners asked whether the site visit could occur before the Jan. 1 deadline for the exemption; Mason said the county official had scheduled the visit.

City staff told the commission the property had been posted and adjacent owners were notified by certified mail. Staff recommended that the proposed use was compatible with the surrounding area and did not represent a major deviation from current land use.

A committee member moved to approve the rezoning; the motion was seconded and the commission approved it by voice/roll call, recorded as five votes in favor. The change will allow Mason to proceed with agricultural uses on the parcel and to pursue any related permitting or tax-exemption processes required by the county.

The commission also approved the Sept. 18 meeting minutes earlier in the session and adjourned following the rezoning vote.