We had a number of members attend the County Council meeting last night and the Council passed the final reading of the zoning / recode changes. What does this mean for us? Below is a brief description of the process that will be required for the quarry company from a previous email by Ms Grothe.
The zoning ordinance will be changing come March 1. If all goes well with the new code adoption, a quarry is no longer a permitted use within the AGC zone district. As such, they will need to apply for a rezoning to Rural Industrial (RI). This process is more cumbersome as it requires a hearing at Planning Commission (they provide a recommendation to Council), then three readings at Council. In the event CC approves it, it will then be required to go for Special Exception in front of the Board of Zoning Appeals. Also, I believe there are new requirements in the code that mandate public outreach.
I will reach out to Ms Dil today to better understand the Planning Commission schedule and procedures and will keep you informed. I do know they meet on the second Monday of each month so the earliest meeting could be on March 14 but we do not know at this time or how much participation they will allow from us.
This is a positive outcome but we have heard rumors and statements from the quarry company officials that they are buying the property so I believe this will be an ongoing issue for years to come.
Thanks to the members that attended the meeting last night.
Remain Vigilant
Laddie Parrish