The Jackson City Council started the new year off with an agenda chocked full with infrastructure repairs, proposed rezonings and increased license fees.
During the Tuesday, Jan. 3 meeting and on the heels of last month’s countywide water emergency, the council made plans to install or repair 12 water shutoff valves along Third Street, the city’s main thoroughfare.
The shutoff valves would be added to the cast iron pipes that carry water from “downtown by Roots Inc. down to Piggly Wiggly,” as described by Vincent Ellis, Jackson’s wastewater supervisor. The project is expected to cost about $100,000, and the city will be seeking bids.
The meeting also included two public hearings.
The first covered the city’s proposed administrative rezoning of eight parcels from RM (residential medium density) to either R-15, R-20 or R-30 and two parcels from MHC (manufactured housing community) to R-30. Collectively, the parcels total 59.2 acres.
The properties are located on Berry Street, Brownlee Road, Covington Street, Dover Ridge Road, Hanover Street, McDonough Road, N. Benton Street and View Point Road. All of the parcels are vacant with the exception of the property on Dover Ridge Road, which houses eight apartments, and the property on View Point Road, which houses four apartments.
Nathany McGarity, owner of a parcel on Covington Street, attended the meeting to voice his opposition to the potential rezoning.
“This ordinance, at a broad stroke, seems to protect Jackson’s blight in a way because it prevents future developments from competing with the existing developments that you have that are blighting the community already,” McGarity said. “At the best stroke, the cleaning up of the zoning map has somehow shifted into a misaligned elimination of a housing class.”
McGarity does not have a proposed development in mind for his property, but would like to reserve his rights for the future. He envisions seeing developments being built in this zoning with amenities like workout rooms, coffee corners and resort pools or senior communities with indoor mailrooms, social activities, therapeutic elements and salons on site.
A second public hearing on the rezoning proposal will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
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The council also held a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would amend Jackson’s zoning ordinance pertaining to Manufactured Home regulations and Multi-Family Residential regulations.
The amendments include but are not limited to the following changes regarding Manufactured Home Communities: increasing the minimum lot size from a quarter of an acre to a half acre, establishing 70 feet as the minimum side yard, 25 feet as the minimum rear yard, 16 feet as the minimum height, 30 feet as the minimum width, 75 feet as the minimum length, 90 feet as the maximum length and 2,000 square feet as the minimum heated/cooled living space.
If approved, the ordinance would also prohibit vinyl or metal siding on newly permitted manufactured homes, require a covered deck (minimum of 10 feet by 20 feet) be placed facing the front yard or street prior to occupancy and require the “entire perimeter area between the bottom of the structure of each manufactured home and the ground, including stairways, shall be underpinned with masonry that completely encloses the perimeter of the undercarriage and attached stairways…”
A complete copy of the proposed zoning ordinance may be obtained from Jackson City Hall.
A second public hearing on the propose ordinance will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at city hall.
In other business, the council approved an ordinance that establishes a wholesale alcoholic beverage application fee, and increases the wholesaler license fee and adds penalties for late payments.
The wholesale license fee is currently $100. The ordinance now establishes a $500 wholesale license application fee, a $1,000 wholesale license fee for licenses issued with more than six months remaining in the calendar year and a $500 wholesale license fee for licenses issued with fewer than six months remaining on the calendar year.
The council also approved the first reading of an ordinance which would amend the city’s charter to reapportion the districts for elected members of the City Council. According to the proposed ordinance, the Legislative and Congressional Reappointment Office of the Georgia General Assembly assisted the city in preparing the redistricting plan. This ordinance must be read again before being put to a vote.
In final business, the council approved an addendum to the city’s contract with Allen Smith Consulting for professional grant writing services, specifically the 2023 Community Development Block Grant.
The council’s next meeting is set for Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at Jackson City Hall.
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