Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Agriculture On Residential topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission recommends conditional-use permit for Toccoa family to keep pigs as show stock
Summary
Stephens County Plan Commission recommended approval of a conditional-use permit allowing Dana Horton’s daughters to raise up to two pigs as show stock on a 0.67-acre residential lot, with animals required to be removed by Oct. 31, 2025 unless an extension is granted and no code violations occur.
The Stephens County Plan Commission on July 1 recommended approval of a conditional-use permit that would allow Dana Horton to keep up to two pigs as show stock at 692 Crawford Circle in Toccoa.
Horton told the commission the animals are part of her daughters’ 4‑H and FFA show projects and said the family arranges daily care and weekly manure removal. "My former husband filed a complaint, just to be spiteful, after finding out that we were gonna show these animals," Horton said, adding that she has letters of support from neighbors and that the animals will be sold off and removed by Oct. 31, 2025, after the show season.
Planning staff recommended approval contingent on animals being removed by Oct. 31, 2025, and noted that an extension could be requested if there are no code‑enforcement concerns. Commissioners discussed whether the conditional use should be limited to the current owner or run with the land and settled on a time‑limited approach as a trial. One commissioner urged flexibility for youth projects while others said an expiration date would protect neighboring subdivision character. A motion to recommend approval carried.
The commission’s recommendation goes to the full Board of County Commissioners for final action; the applicant and members of the public were told to attend that meeting to present their case.
