Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

2026 meeting of the Dixon County Planning Commission is called to order. Uh I'd like to start this meeting uh with Commissioner Ramy if he'd be so kind as to say a word. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for another opportunity to serve you and to serve the people of Dixon County. And we ask that you lead us and guide us in all our decisions that we may better serve you. We thank you and we honor you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Uh Mr. Mr. Hayes, would you be happy to call the RO for us? Todd Barry here. Tina Ferris. Darren Green here. Todd Lindsay here.

Robert Claws here. Tommy Brown. Jeff Chase here. Randy Ramy here. Paul Oregon here. Amanda Barry. Patrick Reagan here. Mitchell Hart. Mr. Chairman, we have a

a quorum has been established. Thank you, Mr. Hayes. Uh, we don't have any visitors to recognize, so I'm going to skip that. And has anyone got any questions, additions, uh, comments, or anything at all in regard to the meeting minutes for January the 8th, 2026? This would be a good time to bring those up. Hearing nothing, the chair would gladly entertain a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of January 8th, 2026. I'll make that motion, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Lindsay pro moves. Who seconds?

All right. Got several seconds. I saw Mr. Reagan's hand first, I think. Moved and seconded that the minutes of January 8th, 2026 be approved. Those in favor state I. Those opposed state no. Opinion chair the eyes have it. Minutes are approved. The first item on tonight's agenda is the standards of non-resident for for non-residential uh development. So, we're going to try to have some character standards on these buildings. Uh councelor, would would we do well to to go over these a little bit or

Yeah, Mr. Chairman, if it's all right, I highlight. Okay. I I wish you would do that.

That would uh generate perhaps some discussion. So, this is a uh mayoral initiative. Mayor Ri wanted the character development standards of commercial developments in the county to be looked at. It was presented to you for commentary uh edit amendment. Um do not feel uh obligated to final vote on this tonight. if you need time to process it and talk through it, but we will need a vote tonight or next month uh on whether it's recommended or not recommended or recommended with amendments. Uh and it'll go up to the county commission. So application, this applies to all commercial developments in Dixon County. Wanted to be very clear that anything built on an A1 or A2 property is not subject to these standards. So we're talking C1, C2, etc. Subsection B talks about parking and access. A traffic study is required for all commercial developments under this new standard. I know that's something that's been discussed by the planning commission uh working group. So, that's just going ahead and putting this in here. New off- streetet parking must be located to the side or rear. That means no parking in the front and then a building. That's a pretty big shift. Uh but that's a little bit more in the modern standard walkability parking on the sides and the back. The buildings more towards the front in the setback. Uh new buildings are oriented towards the street. Most are, but this just confirms that that will happen. If there's multiple buildings on a lot through a site plan, it only applies to the building that's closest to the ride ofway. So if you have like a building at the road and maybe three others, you can have parking in the middle. They don't have to orient towards the right of way just the closest building facade and basic building standards. Um

it requires a consistent architectural style for the whole of the building particularly those parts that are visible from the public rideway. So it's not all the time for every angle of a building. It's just if it's visible from a public rideway. So sometimes the back doesn't have to have every little detail uh the same, but it's going to happen quite often. Um blank building walls facing the streets are not allowed. Um Mr. Mill. Yes, sir. Can I ask you a quick question? Sure.

Um the term I'm not familiar with the word trip and number one. Okay. Materials, windows, doors, and trip. Is that a typo or is that that may be a typo? I'll double check the versioning. U I'll find out. Okay.

Um in cases where building facads will be wider than 35 ft, they have to be broken up. Again, just kind of creating a little bit more architectural style for uh again it's kind of left to the developers. It's just setting these minimums which we do not have anything like this uh on the books. The biggest one's probably number seven. Building facades shall primarily be composed of brick, stone, scored, pre-cast concrete, hardy board, or similarly robust material. We don't know every material that could be used. It just needs to be consistent. Uh, and it needs to be robust. Um, exposed man met metal panels and vinyl siding is prohibited. That's that's probably another big shift for commercial buildings. Um, moving on to page two for highlights. Trash storage mechanical has to be in the rear and screened. If it's on the roof, it has to be screened from public rideway views. Uh, there's a section in here on gas stations. When you see subsection A and those four options below it, they don't have to do all four. They have to do one. So they either have to put the canopy behind the principal building or they have to have the canopy physically connected to the principal building or the length of the canopy has to be less than the length of the principal building uh and height. So they it's just a way to make it more uniform. Not you have a gas station store over here and the canopy is way over here. It's trying to create it more compact and together. Um roof forms. This this is for all commercial developments. They either have to be gabled or hipped at a 7 to 12 or 5 to 12 ratio uh for consistency. And there's a diagram of what that looks like. Sidewalks. This only applies in the planned growth

area of the county or urban growth area of cities. This does not apply in the rural area of the county, but sidewalks would be required on all commercial developments in those two zones. Again, not in the rural area. Uh open space, 30% open space. That's typically not terribly hard to meet uh for a commercial site, but it just requires it. And that can be dropped to 20% if you use pvious material for parking. And then signage. We already have sign regulations in our zoning resolution, but all new ground signs must be monument style with the masonry face and all of this must be incorporated into a site plan. So again, candidly that is a lot uh three pages, but that is a pretty big change for commercial development in the county. Municipalities in Tennessee have a very wide birth on what they can require. They can get hyper specific. They have design review commissions that get to approve all of the architectural aspects, the material aspects of commercial buildings. Counties are limited. We can't have a design review commission. This is probably about as far as we can go in setting some of these standards. Again, you're still leaving a lot of it to the developer, to the builder. Um, but it's setting some of those minimums. And anyway, Mr. Chairman, that's my overview. I'm happy to entertain questions. I'm sure there might be a few.

Commissioners, do any of you all have questions about this? I I'll agree with the council in that municipal ordinances can be amazingly restrictive. If you're familiar with the city of Germantown, Tennessee, outside of Memphis, you can't have headle level signs. I mean, the signs are right on the ground, even in front of gas stations. I think they've taken it a little further than I would care to be see it be taken, but as he said, municipalities have got a lot of authority in this that we don't have. I think all of this is an upgrade. I really like the idea of the the monument type signs. Uh that looks so much better than on the ground. I'm glad we did away with those old rolling signs years ago. They they were tacky. All of this, none of this to me is radical. Uh it it would have improved the design of some gas stations that were built in the past as far as I'm concerned. But all of this just makes sense. I agree with uh Jeff that I don't know what the word trip means in that context.

Is it trim? Typo of my trim. Okay. Well, all right. Well, let's let's get that fixed then. Other than that, I would love to hear either a general questions or specific questions if you all have them. Mr. Chairman, I'm not sure that I need to direct this to you or Mr. Mills. So, in a C1 zoning, this applies. Yes, sir. So, if Joe wanted to go out here and buy a piece of property out in the rural part of Dixon County and decide he wants to put in a dollar store, Mhm. that applies to that particular

every provision in here except for sidewalks if it's in the rural area. So, parking is side or rear can't be front. not under the current version but again this is open for discussion. I know if I may you and I were talking before the meeting of should this only apply to the UTV and PGA and have it not apply in the rural area or should something more than sidewalk be exempted in the rural area. I think that's the type of discussion this body has the ability to engage in cuz again you're making a recommendation all with the county commissioner. They're going to look to you like, "Hey, what did you think? You have to deal with site plans. We don't see site plans,

right? What do you think?" So, I mean, where should this apply? Again, we're looking at three areas the county controls. PGA, rural, and urban growth boundaries where cities haven't expanded to. You can differentiate in that way.

I'm not so sure we need this needs to apply to the rural districts. I I'm I'm pretty sure that I agree that I don't think you you take to give a good example of a recent development. I don't think that it would really be all that helpful or all that necessary for the dollar store out there at 48 in the interstate for the parking have to be on the side or in the rear. I I do agree that if it's in the the urban growth boundaries or the plan growth area, it probably should be that way even though it hadn't been in the past. But yeah, I I would be real comfortable if we applied this to the PGA and anything that's already inside an existing UGB. I I I I think that's a good way to go. Just

Well, I'm not sure it's the best way, but I I'm with you, Todd. I I've got a lot of questions. I've marked several here. That was the first one that I had was the the parking on the side or the rear. A lot of this, especially in in the rural areas, and I think about Mr. Lima Dunigan over on Rock Church, been in business in this county for I don't know 40, 50 years. Yeah.

And he's got a metal building, metal front, a nice building. He built it uh himself. It's a It's a fine structure. It served well all these years. He has parking in the front. It It's a It's a metal building. All sides are metal. Uh it's very acceptable for that area and it always has been. It's not a bit out of character for the area in the context.

So, as I read this, he couldn't build a building like that anymore. He couldn't have parking out in front of that building anymore. And we're we're talking about a a I I don't take this the wrong the wrong way. Leman is just a common person. He's not a wealthy man. He's a a man that's been in business here, like I said, for 50 years at least.

I think some of this could punish those type of people. Um so I'm I'm trying to figure in my head, who's this what are we going to stop by doing this? What what gas station has been built that this would change or what other business some Can y'all give me an example of something that this might have curbed that not that was built here in the last few years? A lot of gas stations, one of the things I looked the hardest at was the gas station. A lot of gas stations that were built 30, 40, 50 years ago didn't come anywhere close to this. But I don't think I've seen a lot of it lately. Mr. I I I know what you're saying and and again, I think what this is aimed at really is to make stuff that that fits in with a town if it's annexed into town or if it's close to a town. And I think stuff like stuff out there off Rock Church Road, it really doesn't need to apply to it because of again what's out there doesn't meet any of this, but it doesn't look a bit out of character. It's not an eyesore. I would I would be very much in favor of saying let's uh let's adopt this and restrict it to the the UGBS and the and the PGA and and not just generally for all uninorporated parts of the county henceforth forever more because I I think it's I think it's a great idea for for the stuff that's right outside of town and and needs to comply with what's coming probably. But again, stuff that it's not st stuff out in the I I'll give you a odd thing. It would never happen now, but I'm thinking the marine place there off Petty Road in White Bluff. The fact that it's not all to these standards, not a problem out where it is now. We would probably not grant a variance now for that to go out

there, but it's already out there and it doesn't hurt anything. I I guess Mr. Dun would have to come see us to do what he's doing now if he were just starting. But he sure isn't bothered anything. And actually, somebody like him, it would cost him a lot more money to build his building up to the some of these standards uh than than what it did when he built that building. Well, Mr. Sullie Williams, again, I'm thinking my own district in Trimco. Mhm. Where that is, that doesn't hurt anything that it doesn't meet these requirements. That's correct.

Yeah, you're you're right. I mean, I I see it the way you all see it, I think. Who else has some comments about this? Cuz that was that that's the really good comment I I want to see us amend to this or to recommend to to say we're going to recommend this just for the urban growth boundaries and plan growth area. And one thing, Mr. Chairman, just Yes. Can we page? This is not retroactive. No, I Yeah, it can't change a thing. It's just like zoning new development or at least the other caveat is if you're doing an addition that's 50% or more of the total area new at that point,

right? Yeah. And I that's an excellent point and it's probably a good point for the record. What is considered 50% square footage of the first floor? The the level that you survey when you're building it is that on the roof? I I take it that way. Don't you, counselor? I do. I mean, when we look at Curtis, I mean, it's heated and cool. Said heated and cool. Is that what we're I don't think you're including porch. I I don't I don't It's inside the building structure. Yeah. I Yeah, I I would I wouldn't think a porch would apply. I think that's a good question. It It's It's a good question. I very valid question.

I'm going to say one more thing. Um Please dig. We're we're a light tonight. We've got several people missing and I think it would probably serve us well to table this. And Mr. Council, if you would send a copy of this to all of our members and ask that they review this and and be ready for discussion and a vote next meeting, I think that would be u to our advantage. M Mr. Barry, is that a motion? I'll I'll put that in a form of a motion.

Is there a second, Mr. Barry? Motion. All right, Mr. Lindsay seconds and the what we're going to get this distilled to. It's been moved and duly seconded that the uh non-residential character and development standards be tabled till the meeting of April 2026 and everyone understands we have to act next month. We can't defer it again. But if everyone's comfortable with that, then I'm going to say those in favor of tableabling this till then say I. I can I ask one more question? Please do Mr. Chase.

Um we I also uh had a thought about the exterior of the buildings and I think in the rural areas that these especially the facade would not apply. I think I agree with that highly. But there's something else also um just a thought that we might think about that rather than all four sides of the building having to be block whatever maybe just the front facade that faces the right of way if we're looking for architectural Mhm.

you know beauty or whatever. But that's just something else because there's a big difference between a four-sided brick building and a four-sided metal building or Hardy board or whatever else. So, just an idea. Yo, I I think I don't think any of us think that the back of a building where the dumpsters are and probably an HVAC unit and a loading dock is supposed to comply with the architectural standards for the front of a building. I I know there's things we say we think are common sense, but they need to be spelled out. But I I if that's what you're saying, Jeff, that I agree with that.

Well, if if the if the word facade means just the front face or if you're on standing on the side, that's a facade there. So, it's any it's any exterior, if it's visible from any street, road. Well, and and I can clarify. I know we're in the middle of the vote, but I know we can clarify that because in number two, it talks about being visible from a public right of way. If that's the will of this body to say, "Hey, you only have to have that architecture, that consistency if it's visible from a public right of way." I can have some language for that.

I'm I'm I'm okay. I'm going to I'm going to pick at that nit just a bit for this reason. I'm thinking about where the former uh Kmart food line that the county owns now sits. If you really cran your neck, you can see the back of that from Jones Creek Road. But it's not really you're you're not driving as good as you need to be if you're looking at that instead of looking at the road when you're coming down that hill there to the bottom of Pump Hill. But I I I just I'd hate to see that come back and bite us, but I I agree with what everybody's saying that it's silly to hold the loading dock and and the that dumpster and all that to the same standards as what you see driving by down the highway. I That's true. Well, anyway, so that's

we still have I was going to say let's let's go ahead and vote on this and see if we want to preserve it for for next meeting. Yes, ma'am. I have one question. Um, in your experience, have with big box type like tractor supply or anybody wanting to come in, has parking on the side or rear been an issue with provisions like this? Have you found them to be willing to manipulate their their prototype? I have not had that issue. I mean, too. So, I deal mainly on the municipal side though. So, I'm saying on the municipal side. Well, your municipalities have been pushing that till now that I know of. A lot of them are doing parking on the side. A little bit more. Well, that's

I mean, I'm just thinking tractor supply. Most of their parking is in the front. So, I just wondered I know the one in Dixon it is because it had been that long since I parked there. So, well, all right. So, I'm going to go ahead and ask for the yays and nays. Those in favor of deferring this to our next meeting say I. I. Those opposed say no. The non-residential character and development standards are hereby deferred to the meeting next month. Mr. Will time. Go ahead, Mr. Lindsay. May I ask the definition of robust materials? Okay.

I can get some example. I mean, it is designed to be a a catchall. So, it would need to be similarly robust. So, you need to be in the world of brick, stone, concrete, party board, not metal siding, but later on it says no to that. Yeah, that would not be a similarly robust material in this version. Again, I encourage y'all to think about this and what amendments would you like to make to this to make it powerful. You're the body that gets to decide that. Understood. This is an aggressive uh very uh very aggressive

piece of legislation. But I always think if you start somewhere, you can whittle it back. If you start down here, it's harder to go up. You want to whittle. Agree. I'm ready to whittle a little. Yeah, I'm But this this is pretty aggressive. It is. That's That's know we're talking about metal siding. We don't want to see the metal siding that is on the barn, right? Now, they make metal sighting that is board and bat that looks You can't tell the difference of it, you know, without going up touching and and if you're going to allow hardy board metal sighting, we need to just pinpoint the metal that we're talking about that we don't want to see. Yeah, if you're driving by, you can't tell it from a board and batten Hardy Pan. No.

Yeah. In my thoughts. Okay. Well, those are good thoughts. I I don't think that's out of line. It's It's a It's a major step, y'all. Oh, yeah. We Yeah. Well, the first thing I thought of was the Country View Market down here has got a stone bottom and then wood on the top. They couldn't do that. Of course, that's in the city of Charlotte, but if that was out in the county, they couldn't build that building in that manner. That's a very nice building. That's very nice building inside and outside. Yes. And the ends of the building are metal. You can see them from You described it would be possible except for metal. Except for the metal. Yeah. But but the wood you you could accept the wood. That's not Is that a robust material? Robust material.

Yeah. And we maybe we should that that's just we need to it might be really good to to specify wood as one of those robust materials as we do SP I mean we're getting specific with Hardy board. Sure. Which I actually would assume is sort of being used in the generic sense and not saying if it's not from Hardy company you can't use it. But I noticed it's a lowercase H. That is actually a trademark. But as somebody told me just a few days ago, well, Xerox and Band-Aid are trademarks and nobody's too hung up on that. But generic.

No. And if if if this body to add to the other examples of similarly robust material, you can. I still want to keep that catchall so it's future proof. So maybe there's a new thing that comes in, but the county staff would be able to make an interpretation of what that meant and someone didn't like it, they go to BCA for there is outlets available. Yeah. Um the other thing on the on the roof pitch whether or not it be a gable or roof, can the gable be hidden by a parapit wall? Yeah, we were talking about that before the meeting. I'll get you an answer. I think that's an excellent question.

No flat roofs. Mhm. I know that there's there's things we need to work on obviously and I would encourage everybody to to read over this and the members that are not here absolutely need to read over this. It won't hurt any of us there. This is this is packed full of un unintended spit it out in a minute consequences. Well, there there's I think some of y'all are pointing out some stuff. Look, at some point something like this winds up getting litigated, but there's no point in starting from a starting point where it's instant litigation from almost month one, right? And and I think we need to I'm just not sure we're ready for it in the rural district.

I'm pretty sure we're not myself and I'm from one of those rural districts. Thank you, Mr. Counselor, for bringing this to us and for being willing to work with us on this. I'm going to go ahead and and put in new language that excludes the rural areas. Look at that. Seems to be a consensus. Obviously, you could amend that. Yeah. Also, also, Mr. Counselor, it would be I think everybody's advantage if we would define that area so people can look at the map and see where those areas actually are. Now, we will have the updated growth plan map by the next meeting. See that? That's that's truly outstanding. Okay. Now,

now this isn't on your agenda, but we need to do this tonight, too, because I neglected to do it two months ago the last time we met. Uh, and I don't think we have to suspend the rules because we already broke them, but not doing it then. But we need to elect a new chair, new vice chair. How about secretary? Uh, do we need to We'll we'll we'll keep our secretary. Okay. Well, if if we can just do that by acclamation, we'll just keep him. But okay. All right. But we need to open the floor for nominations. Well, I was going to say, are there any nominations for the office of chairman of the Dixon County Planning Commission? I nominate Robert L. Carls.

Well, Mr. Chase, I appreciate that. Are there other nominations? Is there a second for me, first of all? Okay. I appreciate that. You You You see, it was Todd that seconded, right? Okay. All right. Mr. Chase has uh nominated myself as chairman for another term. Uh Todd Lindsay seconded. Are there other nominations? Hearing none. That sounds awful self-centered to do this. The chair would ask leave that uh nomination cease and that he be reelected by acclamation. Is there opposition to this? And somebody feel free to oppose this. Hearing none. Those in favor of my serving another term as chairman of the Dixon County Planning Commission, please state I.

Those opposed to that, please state no. In the opinion of the chair, the eyes have it. Okay, that makes me the new chairman. Same as the old chairman. All right. Who wishes to make a nomination for the office of vice chair of the Dixon County Planning Commission? Mr. Lindsay, Mr. Barry, I second.

Mr. Lindsay and uh let's see, Mr. Chase have sec have nominated and seconded Mr. Barry is the vice chairman. Are there any other nominations for the office of vice chairman of the Dixon County Planning Commission? Hearing none, the chair would entertain a motion that further nominations for the office of vice chair cease and that Mr. Barry be elected vice chairman of the Dixon County Planning Commission by acclamation. Somebody needs to move that. Did you do it? Mr. Lindsay so moves. Who whos it?

Mr. Ramy seconds it. So the motion is for Mr. Barry to be uh approved by acclamation as vice chair of the Dixon County Planning Commission. Those in favor of the motion state I. Those opposed state no. Opinion of the chair the eyes have it. And Mr. Barry is the vice chairman of the Dixon County Planning Commission. Is there anything else that needs to be brought for the good of the commission before we go to the house watch a basketball game or something?

Mr. very um moves and I approve. So counselor, thank you tonight for getting this done and we will see you next month. And there just because the action we took will be not fail.