Alexander mayor discusses zoning with planning commission

Alexander Mayor Paul Mitchell attended a special meeting held by the Alexander Planning Commission to discuss the rezoning of the former Alexander Human Development Center property, located in south Alexander along Highway 111. Also discussed at the Tuesday, January 14 meeting was a revisit of the ordinance that sets standards for the placing of used manufactured homes in Alexander and updating an existing ordinance that sets construction and building permit fees.

Originally it was thought the city would find a developer and have that individual go through the rezoning process. Mitchell is now proposing the city rezone the property itself, to insure how the property will be developed, rather than gambling on what a future developer will do after ownership changes hands. His proposal is to rezone about three-fourths of the nearly 69-acres from Government City to Highway Commercial.

The plan is for the city to deed the property to a developer in exchange for the construction of a road from Highway 111, through the property, to Brookwood Road. Mitchell says this will not only take some of the traffic strain off of West Azalea Drive, but also send potential customers past the businesses in, what is expected to be, Alexander’s major commercial district.

Part of the zoning process includes a public hearing. Before the public hearing can take place there must be an announcement of the date, time and place published in a local newspaper. Also, property owners within 300-feet of the boundary lines must be notified by certified mail. Planning commission Chairman Michael Huck said he has already identified 92 parcels of property within or near the 300-feet minimum.

“Not 92 property owners,” Huck said. “Just 92 pieces of property.”

Huck added the city must acquire a legal description of the area to be re-zoned before the process can begin. He said he will contact MetroPlan about that.

Another item discussed at the Alexander Planning Commission meeting was the updating of an existing ordinance, which sets construction permit fees. The goal is to bring all residential housing categories; site-built, manufactured homes and modular homes; under one ordinance. Currently set-up fees for manufactured homes and modular homes are in an ordinance established in 2010.

The same 2010 ordinance also included standards for the placing of modular homes and used manufactured homes in Alexander. After the passage of new zoning regulations in the summer of 2019 the commission began amending the 2010 ordinance to eliminate any conflicts with the new zoning standards.

Since modular homes are now covered in the new zoning ordinance that section will not be needed in the new version of the 2010 ordinance. The requirements for placing a manufactured home were also altered to match the new zoning regulations. That left the set-up fees for manufactured and modular homes also in the new ordinance.

After commission members recommended sending the new ordinance to the council at the December planning meeting, Huck discovered a conflict between the 2016 ordinance that establishes construction and permit fees and the 2010 ordinance. The 2016 ordinance implies the fee for a manufactured home is based on the same square-foot formula as a site-built home. Huck explained that was the original purpose of the 2010 ordinance, to establish a basic fee for manufactured homes.

He said he brought this to the attention of the city council at the December council meeting. His suggestion was to combine all building/construction related permit fees into one ordinance. Council members asked him to provide an updated version of the ordinance at the January council meeting.

Planning commission members approved sending the proposed updated permit fee ordinance to the city attorney for review. If she has no objections the ordinance can then be sent to the council for approval. Huck said the only question he has for the attorney is whether this ordinance should amend the existing 2016 ordinance or replace it.

The next regular meeting of the Alexander Planning Commission will be Tuesday, February 11 at 6:30 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend.