Stop-and-Go Zoning

Written by Tony Capri

The Pickens County Planning Commission met last night to decide the zoning fate of property belonging to resident Garmond Holmes. The planning meeting may have been the shortest hearing in the history of the county.

After a quick prayer and the pledge of allegiance, the presiding commission member, Bill Cagle, zipped through the formalities and got right to the only real order of business for the evening, a request to rezone commercial property owned by Mr. Holmes.

In 2005, when the county first began to zone land for the area, Mr. Holmes opted to have his land zoned as “highway business.” However, Holmes continues to live on the property and now hopes to secure a residential loan. As the land is zoned currently, his bank will not provide him with the desired mortgage.

Cagle turned to Planning Commission Director Joey Low who recommended the commission approve Mr. Holmes’ rezoning request.

“He’s not going to be doing anything different with [the property] than what he’s doing [now],”

Low said when later asked about Holmes’ reason for the rezoning request.

“This [is] not your typical zoning case.”

With the motion seconded by commission member Jim Fowler, the planning commission voted unanimously in favor of the decision. With no other issues on the agenda, the meeting was over in roughly five minutes.

“Short but sweet,”

someone could be overheard saying.

The county commissioners have 90 days to officially respond to Mr. Holmes’ request, though it was suggested it may take little more than a few days before he hears back about their final decision. Since the request was approved unanimously, Low said he feels the commissioners will act on it quickly.

If approved, the land will be rezoned as “suburban residential,” allowing Holmes to continue to reside on the property and obtain a residential loan.