The Frankfort/Franklin County Planning Commission held a public hearing Thursday night to consider the merit of a zone change request for a 4.9-acre plot of land located at 209 Devils Hollow Road.
The property's owner, John T. Fint Jr., is seeking to change the zone from Rural Residential B (RB) to Commercial District (IC) so that he can use the land to open an outdoor storage facility for campers, recreational vehicles, trailers and boats.
Fint told the commission that the property sits far enough off the road that the business would be out of sight. He also pointed out that there is a growing need in the area for this kind of storage.
"I feel like Frankfort is in need of this kind of facility right now," he stated. "I know with Elkhorn Campground taking on new ownership, they sort of went in where they had some boat, camper and RV storage down there. I don't know the exact number but I'd say there were about 50 different campers that were stored down there at one time. I know they have taken that lot over and those people are trying to find another location to go to."
He also noted that many Frankfort residents who cannot keep RVs and trailers at home have to store their property miles away in other counties.
After Fint and his attorney, Bill Ayer, presented their case for the zone change, they answered questions from the commission.
Fint highlighted his plans to make sure his business was as unobtrusive as possible to the homes that surround the plat and that it would be used solely for storage and that any structures built on the property would be limited to aluminum shelters.
Franklin County Planning Supervisor Ben Judah recommended that the planning commission deny the zone change due to the fact that the zone change is at odds with the county's comprehensive plan.
He highlighted three problems with the proposal.
"One, the comprehensive plan/future land use plan designates the property for suburban business center," Judah stated. "Two, the industrial commercial zone district is not an appropriate zone district for suburban land use designation and three, the zone map amendment request is not in agreement with the comprehensive plan."
Judah noted toward the end of the hearing that his recommendation for denial had to do with the proposed zoning rather than Fint's intended use.
"I see that Mr. Fint is proposing to bring a service that is clearly needed," Judah said. "But because the underlying zoning is industrial in nature that does open up the door to wholesale manufacturing and warehousing and a whole number of uses that may not be appropriate in that area."
No action was taken on the matter. The planning commission will receive a summary of the public hearing for review and will take action at the next meeting on April 13.
Say what? If this were a distillery wanting to build polluting bourbon warehouses on this tract, I bet the planning and zoning crew would be more than happy to rezone and allow that change. I'd rather have campers stored through the off-season than bourbon warehouses off-gassing next door to me 365 days a year.
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Say what? If this were a distillery wanting to build polluting bourbon warehouses on this tract, I bet the planning and zoning crew would be more than happy to rezone and allow that change. I'd rather have campers stored through the off-season than bourbon warehouses off-gassing next door to me 365 days a year.
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State-Journal.com’s comments forum is for civil, constructive dialogue about news topics in our community, state, nation and world. We emphasize “civil” at a time when Americans, in the words of the current president, need to “turn down the temperature” of political debates. The State Journal will do its part by more carefully policing this forum. Here are some rules that all commenters must agree to follow:
Absolutely no attacks on other commenters, on guest columnists or on authors of letters to the editor. Our print and online opinion pages are sacred marketplaces of ideas where diverse viewpoints are welcome without fear of retribution. You may constructively critique the ideas and opinions of others, but name-calling, stereotyping and similar attacks are strictly prohibited.
Leeway will be given for criticism of elected officials and other public figures, but civility is essential. If you focus your criticism on ideas, opinions and viewpoints, you will be less likely to run afoul of our commenting rules.
Keep comments focused on the article or commentary in question. Don’t use an article about the Frankfort City Commission, for example, to rant about national politics.
Hyperpartisanship that suggests anyone on the other side of an issue or anyone in a particular particular party is evil is not welcome. If you believe that all Democrats are socialists intent on destroying America or that all Republicans are racists, there are lots of places on the internet for you to espouse those views. State-Journal.com is not one.
No sophomoric banter. This isn’t a third-grade classroom but rather a place for serious consumers of news to offer their reactions and opinions on news stories and published commentary.
No consumer complaints about individual businesses. If you’ve had a bad experience with a private business or organization, contact the Better Business Bureau or the government agency that regulates that business. If you believe the actions of a private business are newsworthy, contact us at news@state-journal.com and we will consider whether news coverage is merited.
Absolutely no jokes or comments about a person’s physical appearance.
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If you state facts that have not been previously reported by The State Journal, be sure to include the source of your information.
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