Jimmy Grant, local builder has small project that is creating conflict and confusion over code interpretations
By Sid Riley
By Sid Riley
Jimmy Grant angrily exclaimed at the Monday evening Planning Commission meeting.
His frustration comes after struggling to get permitting approved for a small six lot private development just off highway 71, near Sunland. He has repeatedly been before the planning commission and the board of commissioners over the past year as he struggled with the bureaucratic processes involved in getting final approval for the development.
The basic problem seems to lie in conflicting and overlapping definitions and code requirements for a small subdivision within the County Code Ordinances and the County Comprehensive Land Use Plan. This situation is compounded by the relative inflexibility of the Comprehensive Plan, which requires a lengthy bureaucratic process before any changes or amendments can be made.
This conflict is heightened by what appears to be a growing conflict between Planning Director Schairer and Grant, who once worked in the Planning/Inspection Department.
The Planning Board members and the County Commissioners have all struggled to resolve this ongoing conflict for many months. Meanwhile, Jimmy Grant has three houses built that he can not sell, thus causing his $500,000 investment to be idled.
At Monday’s meeting of the Planning Commission, the commissioners discussed the fact that this problem was not being handled in a "Developer friendly manner", and the project was so small that it had virtually no threat of any negative impact on the citizens of Jackson County.
After much discussion, the Commission finally approved, by a 3-2 vote, a motion to move the approval process forward for consideration by the Board of County Commissioners. Meanwhile, steps are being taken to amend the Comprehensive Plan in order to remove small projects from the subdivision regulations in order to have this type of project be under the more flexible County Subdivision Regulations. This will still take several months to accomplish.
His frustration comes after struggling to get permitting approved for a small six lot private development just off highway 71, near Sunland. He has repeatedly been before the planning commission and the board of commissioners over the past year as he struggled with the bureaucratic processes involved in getting final approval for the development.
The basic problem seems to lie in conflicting and overlapping definitions and code requirements for a small subdivision within the County Code Ordinances and the County Comprehensive Land Use Plan. This situation is compounded by the relative inflexibility of the Comprehensive Plan, which requires a lengthy bureaucratic process before any changes or amendments can be made.
This conflict is heightened by what appears to be a growing conflict between Planning Director Schairer and Grant, who once worked in the Planning/Inspection Department.
The Planning Board members and the County Commissioners have all struggled to resolve this ongoing conflict for many months. Meanwhile, Jimmy Grant has three houses built that he can not sell, thus causing his $500,000 investment to be idled.
At Monday’s meeting of the Planning Commission, the commissioners discussed the fact that this problem was not being handled in a "Developer friendly manner", and the project was so small that it had virtually no threat of any negative impact on the citizens of Jackson County.
After much discussion, the Commission finally approved, by a 3-2 vote, a motion to move the approval process forward for consideration by the Board of County Commissioners. Meanwhile, steps are being taken to amend the Comprehensive Plan in order to remove small projects from the subdivision regulations in order to have this type of project be under the more flexible County Subdivision Regulations. This will still take several months to accomplish.
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