Gilmer County commissioners pressed pause on zoning requests for deannexed properties.
This means the county will not approve any rezoning requests on deannexed property for a year while they consider an ordinance governing the practice.
“This is not about me being opposed to apartments or even about me being opposed to affordable housing. I am not opposed to either,” said Gilmer County Chair Charlie Paris. “What I am opposed to is city residents that are turned down just automatically saying, ‘we’re going to go to the county and we’ll do it.’”
It stresses the relationship between the cities and the county, he said.
“We do need time to work this out,” Paris said.
With that, he made a motion for a 12-month moratorium on rezoning requests of any properties which have not been in the county for at least a year.
Gilmer County Post Commissioner John Marshall seconded the motion.
“I concur with the chairman that we are going to be inundated with requests, and our staff needs time to handle this appropriately and properly,” he said. “It is not putting a total and complete forever ban on housing. It’s just slowing down and taking it methodically.”
Paris pointed out it does not prevent construction or rezoning on property which is already designated in the county and not the cities. It only deals with those landowners attempting to avoid a refusal from the city.
Gilmer County Post Commissioner Karleen Ferguson said she has seen the strain.
“I understand that some of these property owners have ideal property for housing and for other things,” said Ferguson. “I believe the best thing for them to do is to work it out through the cities where they fall.”
The moratorium passed unanimously.
An ordinance governing the issue was tabled for more discussion and added to the agenda of the next regular meeting of the board.
This comes on the heels of a 2-1 vote to allow the Mountain View Terrace project, with 50 units planned. The R-5, high-density zoning application was through Coosawattee Properties LLC for the address 0 Mountain View Drive.
It was approved at a May 8 regular meeting of the board.
The property was deannexed shortly before the zoning request. Commissioners discussed a ‘Pandora’s box’ of requests following the approval of the project.
A moratorium was approved and rescinded at the same meeting where the Mountain View Terrace project was approved. The explanation for the vote being rescinded was to allow a Manor Lake project near the new Piedmont facility along Hwy. 515.