Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

All right. Thanks everybody for being here today. This is the Coff County Planning Commission February 24th, 2026 meeting and I'm going to call the meeting to order. First thing we're going to have are public comments. Yes, ma'am. Come ahead. Come to the podium, please. Ma'am,

my name is Sheri Ethridge, and tell me if this isn't the time I need to even ask this question. You guys approved a minor subdivision on June 24th for Justin And it's come to our opinion that it was never on the agenda to be to be discussed that night, but he was approved in the final minutes. So, we know that there's an issue with the open meeting regulations. So, I guess our concerns that we're raising tonight is just the process that should have been taken place and if we can get things in writing. I mean, is there going to be another meeting to go over what should have happened that night? Ma'am, what's your complaint? Where

my complaint is that the meeting was the the approval of the project was never on the agenda. So you you would be against that approval. Is that what you're saying? Absolutely. Yes. Yes. Okay. So what was your what would your reason be for that? For that number one, from what we have read, the road frontage the the road not the road frontage, excuse me, the road width from everything we can find. And if you guys can, you know, maybe you guys need to give me something. I'm writing and that's fine. We see that it should be 20 ft wide. Where did you get that? We have just looked it up on the internet every place we could. But if if there's something other than what we have found, please provide it to me and then we'll understand road width minimum for a minor so division. Yes sir.

No. Yes sir. You vote. Somebody voted it in March of 2025. Yes. Is what we have found. That's only major. I think you're looking at major subdivision, not a minor. No, sir. When you look it up, it says minor. If you guys can show us when it concerns A1 property, minor subdivision, that's what it says. But I mean, there's the density issue. I mean, you are y'all familiar with Col or Ferrell's Branch Road and Beach Grove.

It's a teeny area. And the property itself, yes, it is 5.12 acres, but those homes are because of the grade of the property. It runs from Ferrell's branch down to McBride's branch. The homes are really sat on like 1.2 acres, I want to say. What? Excuse me. What is the lot size minimum? 810 if they got a hydro within a mile. That makes me

I'm just trying to give you just an idea of how squished together it is. And you know, I thought one of the things now I I don't understand also and maybe you guys can clarify this for me. Everybody keeps saying he was grandfathered in because instead of going by the rules for that day, he went by the previous rules. The grandfather grandfather is probably a mis term, a misnomer, but it still should have been on the agenda so anybody in that area could have come in and speak. It was on the agenda that we used for the meeting. Correct. It was the soils came in like a day before. The day before and they had an application. The soil samples did. I think that Northcut did them like supposed to be notified.

No, not on the But there's still the issue though with the It should have been on the agenda posted on the county website. Correct. What's I'm sorry, ma'am. The um the agenda still should have been I'm sorry. Then you're fine. Go ahead, Cindy. I'm sorry. I'm just saying our zoning resolution does not require notification for plants. If you're reszoning it, you a notification, but it wasn't a reason. It was being used inside the zoning. Is it a var? Is it considered a variant? No, ma'am. That is just Are you Cindy with Is

If you're reszoning it, if it's zone something and you want to reszone it to something else, the neighbors in the thing and it must all be running. People be notified. But if it's if you're following the rules in the existing zone, then you don't have to notify anybody. Existing zone was A1. I get that. And in A1, met all the requirements. Okay, this came this came into our office and the plan and the Florida's own appeals has decided this very correctly every time. I think sir if it came in or was in the process before the 5 acre minimum under somebody else's name though somebody owned it.

You don't ma'am. Ma'am, you don't have to. We've been preaching this for years. You better find out what you can do with the property before you buy it. Totally get that. So he went ahead and got a plat started in the whole nine yards. Correct. to see if he could do with it what he wanted to do with it. So, the fact that he bought it after

Okay. No, and I'll I'll finish up real quick. I just want to say for myself since Justin purchased the property or shortly thereafter, I called the Coast Department. I called the Coast Department continually because I was told that there would be a meeting for him to be grandfathered in. I called. I called. I called. I called. I called every time I was told, "No, you will get a letter. You will get a letter. He's wasting his money." And I Yes, you did. Yes, you did. And also, one of the

one of the gentlemen in the office I called after he put in the four meters politely told me, "Well, maybe he's going to run cattle." And I said, "Where's the letter that you guys keep saying I'm going to get?" A letter's not required. I Okay, but I was told I would be getting one. So, of course, I have to assume, right? If you were told that it was mistaken, are you the mistake when we heard it or something like that? No, I called for the reason I'm not the only one that's called, sir. Okay, let me just say this right quick and we're going to cut this off. That's fine. You don't have a reason for us to deny his his uh his sub.

Were public comments welcome at that meeting? We do public comment. How how would anybody have known that they could come and make public comments? What I'm telling you is that you I haven't heard a reason that you have given me to deny for us to deny because I know I don't have time to read everything. I know I don't have time to I don't I know we have limited time and people to talk because of this. So I don't have time. But if there would have been if there would have been Did you know the property was for sale when it went out for sale? very shortly. And I don't even Oh, in fact, there wasn't even a sign up. No, there was not. Tried to buy it. It was never been up. We never was never a sign up. Sell it to me. No,

you you tried to buy it in Yes, sir. I tried to buy it in 2020, but wouldn't sell it. Well, that's not that. No, that's nothing to do with you guys. Well, I understand, sir, all you want, but I just want to be sure that you're saying he's meeting all qualifications, and I'm saying he doesn't. We and we don't have time to discuss it all. Stating that fact and you say they're not there. Do what now? You're saying the laws he's met all qualifications in order for him to build a minor subdivision. That's what I'm hearing from you. Correct. Is that correct, Kirk? He meets all the qualifications. Is that correct, sir? Yep, that is correct. Okay. All right. Can Can we get the

What do I do if I can prove you wrong? Can we get the Can we get the qualifications for a minor subdivision in writing? Yes, you anybody can go in and get the qualifications for a minor sub. In writing. It's in the book. Yeah. Okay. I mean, I'd like it in writing. It's very difficult. And I And I was lied to. I'm not the only one that has called. There are people that work during the day and can't get here at four o'clock that also called the committee. I was actually even on the phone one day with somebody when they called. Do this the right way. We are. But we have the right

we're trying to do this right to get up and talk and grant too. He should have never been granted defense the other night, ma'am. Period. The mayor states when you apply for your building permit, you go by the rule then and it's 50 foot. I don't know why they changed it to 25 and for some reason book was on the books and he still don't have a building permit.

For some reason, when we when we went the other night, they honest to go I think it was in this room, but we came in that door. Honest to God, they acted like their hands were totally tied. I kept telling them, "Mayor Hunt told me that the variances that you go by are when you get your permit." And they kept saying, "Oh, yeah, but he was grandfathered in." I'm like, but you have the opportunity to say no. They wouldn't even really acknowledge the fact that they had the right to say no. And obviously it was the uh fire chief that had the big speech in here when the when the variances were changed to 50 ft. And it was all because of fire. I actually did not know he was on that board to call to see what date that was.

It was 502525. Right. Okay. It was and it got changed to 5050 and the reason for that were very adamant about it being changed to 50. Exactly. But we can't go by the date that it was changed if he had already applied beforehand. But that's what Mayor Hunt said and if I'm not mistaken, let me say this then. We wouldn't have been in the BZA. I think you understood misunderstood Mayor Hunt. Then let me ask you this question. You can answer this. if he went by if the variances that applied to his project were from when he started his application, why did we're in why did he have to go in front of the BCA the other night?

It was to get a variance. Why did he have to be approved to begin with? It he the board of appeals can give variances. I can't just give variance. That's right. Well, but it wasn't a variance though because you you guys have are telling me that it goes with application. then he wouldn't have needed a variance, right? Yes, ma'am. But at the time he came to get a building permit, the setbacks had changed. But he since he since he had the application filled out already, he had vested rights. You can't change. Then why did he go in front of the BCA?

But they still have to approve that. Well, I mean, but like I said, we have several things we wanted to go over, but again, the meetings are supposed to be we just showed up tonight not even knowing if we could talk, but the meetings are I probably shouldn't have been able to talk because this item on the agenda and that's why I asked, but uh and I know no decisions are being made about that tonight and I think this discussion needs to end right now. I appreciate your coming forward. I do hope that you guys reconsider revisiting this because it was not an open meeting as per Tennessee. Every every meeting we have is an open meeting. It's at 4:00 on the fourth Thursday of every month.

The agenda the agenda, but the agenda has to be posted with all of the things 48 hours in advance. That recently changed. It used to be just the meeting. That's what That's right. agenda. Okay. Any more public comment? All right. We're going to move right along to approving the agenda. Do I hear a motion to approve the agenda? I make a motion to approve it. I have a motion from Randy Harrell. Do I have a second?

I'll second it. I've got a second from Rodney Duncan to approve the agenda. Has everybody had a chance to uh look at the previous minutes? If you have, I'll take a motion to approve the previous minutes. Do we have a vote on it? Oh, I'm sorry. All in favor of approving uh the agenda say I. I oppose. All right. Now, we'll move on to approval of previous minutes. Do I have a motion to approve the previous minutes? I'll make that motion. Got a motion from Sammy Anderson to approve the previous minutes. Do I have a second? I'll second.

I have a second from Miss Anna Stasia. Uh any discussion on the previous minutes? If not, all those in favor say I. I. Oppos. Uh Kurt, this is your part. Moving on to bond review. No bonds. No bonds. That's kind of pretty easy. Uh the first item on the agenda is a request for resoning map 059 parcel 078.04 C1 to C2. David Low.

Yes sir. I split it up. It was one parcel. I split into two parcels to separate them. Remember I was here a few couple weeks ago. That's right. The h That's the house. Yes. I chopped the house off. The house has it own parcel and then the building has its parcel. It doesn't show up on there, but I was going to say Kurt's got the map of it. He just Yeah, he's got it divided. He's got a separate map of partial. He came before us the last time. Okay. And we told him he need to go back and get it straight out. Get it completed.

Wants to look at that. I thought he was in the urban growth bound. You're outside the urban growth boundary. Well, it was uh I don't know. I don't know. I just know it's C1. So, I met the setbacks for C1. It's already C1. It's C1. It's already C1 and he's changing one partial to C2. He's going to have a small auto sales. That's what I'm shooting for. Is C2 the one once it goes commercial, it can never go back. Never go back. That's why I chopped the house off. That's why I separated it off. You're familiar what we're talking about?

Oh, yeah. I sure am. Okay. All right, here one second curtain. Everything's in order with that correct. And remember, we're voting on positive recommendation. It will go before the county commission to be for the final vote. If everybody's had a chance to look at it, I'll take a motion one way or the other. I'll make a motion to approve it. Have a motion from Rodney Duncan to approve it.

I second. I have a second from Miss Laura Vasquez. Any more discussion? Any more questions? If not, we will vote. All those in favor say I. I. I. No. No opposition. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate what you had to do. Yes, sir. Thank learn. Yes, ma'am. And she'll quit twisting that foot. Lose some weight. going to the full commission.

Okay. Uh we're going to move on to other and one of the things that uh we want to talk we want to talk about and do a little fixing here. Miss Laura Nettles uh sent an email called she texted us and but she sent an email to Cindy that she would like to be taken off as our secretary. She's not resigning from the planning commission. She's resigning as secretary. her other job is pretty intense and she is kind of making it hard on her. Uh I don't think we have to vote on that. She resigned. Uh so we need to find another secretary.

I'm just asking would you mind being the secretary because she has to come up here and sign stuff all the time. She'll already be here. Well, I think had Laura not has she talked to you already about as I'm okay with I guess we all know who my first choice is. I'll second. I'll make I'll make a motion and I'll make Laura Anderson that we uh uh elect Miss Laura Vasquez to replace Miss Laura Nettles. And I'll second and I've got a second for Miss uh excuse me, Anastasia Gonzalez. All those in favor say I. I

oppose. The only person that didn't vote for Miss was Miss W. Yeah. All right. Anybody else under other? Anything else? We got our training training of March 13th. 13th. Yeah. Terry Hman, do y'all have something some Cass training coming up? Correct. Is that on the 6th? I gota look and see. I got an email on it. I just got to find it. Okay. Well, I will be here. Yes, in this room.

I would like to do it like we did it last time. I'd like to get the tables up where we can all sit around the same table. I thought we got a lot out of that. Yeah. So, we all going to do the 8 to 12? I am. Yeah. We'll all do the 8 to 12 for both both ends of it. And uh I would suggest that uh usually it's pretty much the same thing on both sides, but there's a you always learn a little bit more. And I'm kind of hard-headed. The majority of the main part of 8 to 12. And there we will have lunch and it'll just be us, correct? Yeah. Manchester.

Oh, okay. So, uh, anybody got anything else? I do not. Sammy, this is your favorite part? I get to make a motion. If you want to. I'd love to. I would love to. Waiting to be in be over.