Pickens County approves three rezoning requests to fix septic and create buildable lots

Pickens County commissioners voted to approve three rezoning requests during their meeting, allowing property owners and an applicant to change local zoning designations across multiple parcels.

Staff presented RZ190627, a request to rezone 29.4 acres on Carlin Road in Jasper from suburban residential to agricultural. "The property is located on Carlin Road out in Jasper," planning staff member Ashley said while summarizing the application. Staff recommended approval to allow the buyer to build a home and a barn and to maintain horses on the property. The current owners said the prospective buyer plans a home and barn; a motion to approve the staff recommendation passed by raised hands.

Two related rezones filed by Affordable Investments were also approved. For RZ190628, staff said the request would rezone 1 acre at 643 Highway 136 Connector in Talking Rock from rural residential to suburban residential to resolve septic issues and create a conforming, buildable lot. "We found out that the septic tank of that current lot is actually on the ag property," agent David Shouse said, describing why a lot-line modification is needed. Shouse said the plan is to end up with two one-acre suburban-residential lots and to apply a deed restriction prohibiting a mobile home on the new lot. The board approved the staff recommendation by voice/raised hands.

RZ190661, a separate parcel change from agricultural to suburban residential (parcel O18030003 at 136 Connector, Talking Rock), was presented as the companion to RZ190628. Staff recommended approval to correct septic location and create a buildable lot; the motion to accept the recommendation passed by raised hands.

None of the recorded votes in the transcript included individual roll-call tallies; the minutes reflect the motions carried by voice/hand vote. The decisions were described in the meeting as routine zoning corrections intended to bring parcel sizes and septic placements into compliance with local requirements. The board closed each hearing after the approval.

The board did not record specific conditions beyond the staff recommendation in the transcript; where owners or applicants indicated deed restrictions (RZ190628), those limitations were discussed on the record by the applicant's agent.