Pickens board recommends denial for Joiner rezone after neighbors object to subdivision plan

The Pickens County planning board voted to recommend denial of RZ190662, a request by Christopher (Chris) Joiner to rezone roughly 9.03 acres on Bryant Road from agricultural to rural residential.

Staff outlined the proposal as a rezoning to permit future residential development; Joiner told the board he planned to split the parcel into two lots (a six‑acre and a three‑acre parcel) and possibly place a 1,400‑square‑foot manufactured structure temporarily for a family member. Joiner said survey markers and preliminary plans were in place, but he acknowledged he had not communicated with every adjoining owner in advance.

Several neighbors said they bought property expecting agricultural zoning and objected to additional houses directly behind their property. "We bought based on the zoning so that we could have animals," one neighbor said, adding that multiple homes next to existing agricultural lots would be a hardship. Other speakers raised concerns that a manufactured home placed on the lot might remain long‑term and change neighborhood character.

The board first took a motion to approve the rezoning; the motion failed on a 2‑to‑3 vote. Board members then discussed procedure and made a motion to recommend denial. The motion to deny passed 4‑2, and the board concluded the applicant’s request would not be recommended for approval to the county commissioners.

Next steps: the board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the county commissioners for consideration under the county’s rezoning procedures. The planning board included its staff file and the Planning Commission hearing record in the administrative file for the county’s review.