Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

within White Bluff beneficial cuz it got tied into pretty pretty quickly in the case of White Bluff. But some of them are going to be sitting out there with that lonely sidewalk in front of it for a while, which I guess you can argue aesthetically makes it a little better from the view of the highway. There's a lot of there's other things in here that make a Dollar General store look a lot better from the highway than strip of sidewalk in front of it. That that is sort sort of a beneficial development. But yeah, I I mean I I understand your the feeling that most stuff that needs this is only going to be on US highways and state highways and it's not going to be on county roads because you don't have the volume of foot traffic down a county road to justify it. You had something to say, Mr. Chase, I think. And I think

Yeah. Um I also have some misgivings. Um, a couple of things. The the the exposed metal panels. Um, and I would guess did anybody who, you know, when we put this together, did anybody do any research to see what percentage of existing buildings would pass this right now? Because I'm betting a high percentage would not. There was no study done. Okay. Okay. My personal Please would be grandfathered. to do.

Right. Right. But my personal opinion it would be thought would be that uh most buildings would not pass this test right now which because they were built basically by people who had an idea to hopefully start a business, make money, and I can see this being very expensive for somebody. uh the county the county roads they have traffic they don't have as much road as Nashville does and whatnot. I can see some reasons for strengthening the codes, but I think that a lot of people who might think about putting a building on 47, 48, 46, whatever, small mom and pop, they're not going to do it because of the cost of construction and especially with the costs skyrocketing nowadays, rents not keeping pace, that margin of profit is much, much smaller. That worries me. Um the and the metal is probably a very good idea, you know, to have a a gauge of metal because a lot of metal looks great, you know, if it's if it's anodized or whatever. But something else that um I thought of when I first saw this last month, um what was the rationale for street parking to be side or rear of the building? Was there any that just so the facade of the building looks better?

Yes. Okay. My big problem there is there's nothing that says what the back of the building behind the building other than parking if it's there has to look like. Could be an alley, could be a whatever. And I'm worried about safety, especially women, especially today on the back of the building where nobody's watching. They got to go back there and get their car. And I think that that is a high possibility of problems not only for, you know, for for attacks or whatever else, but also for cars getting broken into. Nobody's watching them. They're back. They're hiding, you know, on the side of the road, side of the building, maybe. But I worry about that. Um, that's just something to think about. Food for thought.

Thank you, Commissioner. Uh, now I think Commissioner Morgan, you had something you want to say, too. I want to hear it. I think it's a good idea to to want nice things and it

make things look good, but my definition of what looks nice is might be different than someone else's. And I like the idea of not regulating people out of opportunity in mind mom and pops, but was curious, would there be and I don't like the idea of telling people what to do with the land they already have for a future purpose like we were saying. Um, is there a way to put in a provision that would grandfather anyone who had already is commercial now and has their property to do whatever they want and then just people who are getting acquiring new property for new purposes to to be under these provisions that were setting forth and you grandfather any current owners. For example, if someone has a building and they've got maybe a certain style and they want to add on to it or build an extra look very similar to what they have, but under the new um under the new standards would not be able to,

I would feel like they would have a right and a good argument as to why they need to be able to build the same building on the property that existed that they purchased before these standards went in. Is that possible or what what complications come out about from that applies to use? Okay. And so you already have to have a building, right? So any building that's in existence would not be affected by any new regulation, right?

In terms of a piece of property that has a building that's grandfathered that you want to do an addition on or another building on, um, it is I have to look at it, but it is possible to allow some level of we call it conformity um because you maybe you would want to say all right you just have to make all other buildings on site similar to the existing so at least there's some consistency they're not building different types right different styles that could be accomplished

and then also certain I think that there might need to be provisions for certain quick service businesses and their parking versus some other businesses but I'm not sure how to delineate between that. You know, in in cities, you'll see a a Circle K that doesn't have a gas station, right? It's just a freestanding. And that's obviously you want to run in and get your drink in the morning and get out. So, that there might be some businesses that we would consider could have the front parking and and just makes sense. I I think we're a long ways from having a convenience store with

no gas station county. But I I understand the point and I think it's well taken. Uh I my my biggest concern is what we're hitting on here about the building. I've got I'm doing good. I want to have a twice as much space as I had. I'm going to put up another building next door just like the one I'm here and it's going to have to look a whole lot different. Uh, councelor, uh, I know something very similar to this is in effect in Williamson County and it hasn't seemed to kill their growth. Exactly. Uh, what what what are you hearing from your counterparts in Williamson County about how this is being received?

Received by who?

By the development community. I I'd say knowing a little bit more than some I guess about Williamson County. There's a whole lot of people in Williamson County that say the last thing that should ever been allowed to change is when they let them move there. Everything in the future needs to never stay any different than it is right now. I don't want Dixon County to have that reputation. And I'm not going to be part of it becoming that knowingly. But h how is it being received? I I mean, you don't want to just bend over for everybody that owns a business. But at the same token, you don't want to repel everybody that owns businesses either and say, "Well, if somebody's already got a business, great, because now you'll never have one." That just that's just not real American to me.

Um, I think the candid answer is the developed community has made it work because the profits are there. Now, the examples of mom and pop shops, I think that's the very small end will probably feel it the most. Uh, once you get medium or larger, they movement.

That that makes total sense to me. If we've got that ambitious mom and pop business here in Dixon County that doesn't want to go away the way the majority of them I mean I'm not going to sit up here and name names, but I can tell you all the stuff that was in business in Dixon County 40 years ago that's not in business anymore. And that's you say that's the natural evolution and creative destruction of capitalism. And in some ways that's true. But I don't want to be a major part of us accelerating that trend further than it's already accelerated because it's it's so accelerated now that I hardly recognize where I am at times here in Dixon County, let alone Nashville. So I that's why if I'd say the development county Williamson County is apparently doing really great with it, but I I don't I don't know how the typical citizen is. But again, the typical citizen of Williamson County is from my experience a fairly different person than the typical typical citizen of Dixon County.

And and again for perspective, our cities are putting a lot of standards in place for what commercial has to look like. You're not going to be on an island about that. But you know, a lot of the development is designed to be funneled into cities. It's designed to be more rural.

The genesis of this was about how the building looks and having a consistent architectural style on all four sides. That's the genesis of this. um everything else kind of flowed from it. So obviously I think it's a lot more fluid depending on what this body wants to see if you want to come in part of it or take part of it out. But I think the consistency of the material and architectural style was the genesis for this.

I I think this is a lot to swallow. Um, and last month I um I brought up Mr. Layman Dunan is one of the I would consider one of the men that helped build Dixon County. Um, as far as business, a local businessman, been in business for many, many years. He violates this on every aspect. Uh, his business does. and he's older, retirement age or better. People like him is not gonna be in business much longer.

Not him personally. No.

Um this would affect somebody like him. Um he is u has always been a bluecollar type individual from not from a wealthy family. He's done quite well with a business that he has run with his skill um and his sheer grit and determination. And I this will punish a gentleman like that as I see it. I would really like for this body to be able to sit down and take this line by line maybe and have discussions about all of this where we can go through and we can we can speak this out. This is a lot to come in and say, "Okay, I approve. I don't approve. There are some good things here."

Mhm. But there are some things here that I just don't care for. Um, so it would really be nice and I don't know if this is possible or not if we were able to sit down and discuss this um further and not in a 1-hour meeting or whatever. It's this is going to take a while. It may take several 1-hour meetings and I don't know what our timeline is council uh on this but I don't think there's a set timeline. No. Okay. It almost seems like enough to speak for you, but there is a working subcommittee. There he is.

If you wanted to move to send this to the committee, that way they can sit around the table. It's public meeting. Anyone can come, but there are four committee members uh with Mr. Hayes and myself. And maybe we can spend that time going line by line through this and coming up with a version that at least those four members think is good and then bring to the full body. I I would be inclined to do that. I think that's a great idea. Uh and then that body can come back to this body um with a better understanding and and and get something done here. I think that's a that's a great idea.

Uh I've got everybody's emails if that's where this body is. We can find some time. I think 5:30 before this meeting might not be enough time. So uh we may need to find a separate do do you need to zoom that perhaps counselor is that is that a realistic consideration for people uh to zoom it to for yeah to have it have the commi the subcommittee meeting or what committee of us again it's public meeting it's put on the website we meet in the conference room back here because there's only six people right um and talk through it but see what we can do

well I like the idea of it being an open process that the public can observe and and at the right time make comments on. And also, I'm just going to ask you, counselor, be before rather than vote this up or down, we can go ahead and take a vote to refer this to a a committee. Yes, sir.

That's what I was thinking would be in order. I think it's the sense of the group that we need to do this more line by line that is appropriate in the in the regular monthly meeting. Would anyone the chair would entertain a motion that is to that effect if anyone would make it and if someone would second it? I I'll make that that motion. Mr. Chairman,

Mr. Barry has moved that uh this be the uh proposed uh uh non-residential building standards in the county be referred to a committee that's previously been constituted. Uh Commissioner Chase, do you want to session that and and and make sure the minutes reflect that's Commissioner Toddberry? No, no slack to you, Commissioner Amanda Berry. All right. Is there more discussion on this motion before we we move to action? If not, it's been moved and seconded that the proposal on nonresidential commercial building standards in the county be referred to a committee. Those in favor of this motion state I

I. Those opposed state nay. In the opinion of the chair, the motion is approved to refer the non-residential building standards to a committee which will be the the the date and time of which to be announced. Right. Okay. All right. And to be clear about that, any member can attend. Any member, any member of the public can attend this. We're it's not going to be a secret meeting. That's I think it'd be if if we can stream it, it would be great, too. We can have it in here, but designed for the speaking to be done by the subcommittee members.

Right. Right. Well, well, that's something I think people don't understand. When something's open to the public, it's only open for them to speak during the public comment period. the rest of time they can be here but they're supposed to watch the proceedings and nudge each other and write notes and not talk to the commissioners or the chairman directly. Okay, that's I think we've dealt with the number one item on the agenda, but there is another agenda item that we need to address and I hope everybody looked at this in their packet. That is the paving of Hunter Trail off of uh I had it right here in front of me off of Merl Road, which I'm sure that you all were like me. I had no idea that Hunter Trail was not a Dixon County road, but officially in in reality, it's not. And seven out of those nine lots have been built out, right? So those people paid a lot of taxes and they deserve for that to be a county road. Some of those people been living there for 30 years or right at it. So let's discuss that if we can.

Mr. Hayes, I mean, is there more backtory to this? No, older subdivision that was built in the 90s. Never had a lot dedicated. Just one of those things kind of fell through the cracks. Well, they'll look back at us in the 2050s and they'll say the same thing about us. I imagine this was intended to be a public road. Yes, that's it. Looks like a like I said, I didn't know it wasn't a public road till I got this thing in the mail that said that Hunter Trail was not never had been road list. It's not a dirt road. I mean,

no, it's it's that's it. If it was something go that road over there, that's just old gravel dirt road. That's But it's not. It looks it it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, but it's not a duck. It looks like a county road. It's got ditches like a county road. It's not a county road. So, normally, and you'll see this from time to time, you know, with dedication of a public road, we we vote to release the bond conditioned upon the county commission accepting the road. So, this is actually only step one. You're making a recommendation of the county commission to accept this as a county road. There's not a lot because it's 35 years.

Yeah. Yeah. If there if there had been a bond, it would have elapsed a very long time ago and there's not anybody we can make post a bond. So that's not in that's not a question either. So So sometimes stuff slips through the cracks. Who was the developer on this project? Do we know? I'm trying to remember. David Bradberry. Okay. Okay. Was there a bond at one time on this?

It just did not get renewed at some point and he absolutely wasn't going to come back and say, "Hey, I need to pay my bond any more than I would or you would. I, you know, I understand he he knows his all his obligation to this was released a long time ago." Well, yeah, he paid bonds for several years in a row and fell through the crack somewhere.

This was before any of us were on this body, including myself, which I know a lot of people have a hard time picturing that place in history, but it does exist. There are times when I remember not being here. But anyway, uh I would very much the chair would entertain a motion to encourage our friends on the county commission to accept Hunter Trail as a Dixon County road with the with the it's obvious the aim is to get it repaved, which after from the 90s till now, I'm sure that would be a wonderful thing. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to make a motion to

Okay, let's see. To send a favor move for it and Commissioner Oregon seconded it is that okay for a favorable recommendation to the county commissioner. I Okay. Okay. We've had the discussion. the motions made and it's been duly seconded that we encourage and recommend the county commission that they accept uh Hunter Trail off of Murrow Road for uh as becoming a county road with the eye and the knowledge that the residents intend to have it paved by the county.

It was uh Mr. Wargan seconded. Those in favor of this motion signify by saying I. I. Those opposed say no. Opinion of the chair, the eyes have it. And the recommendation of uh uh Hunter Trail becoming a Dixon County Road to be approved by the county commission is made. Is there any other business that should properly come before the commission at this time? hearing that there's not any the chair would entertain a motion to adjurnn.

Okay, Mr. Barry has moved. Who's okay? Miss M. Barry second. So those in favor of the motion to adjurnn state I have a great great rest of your month folks.