Planning Commission Confirms “No” Vote

DAYTON - The Columbia County Planning Commission decided on Monday night to revisit the issue of a proposed text amendment to the language in the AR-1 zone to add sales of agriculturalbased products as a conditional use.

A public hearing on the matter was held June 9, and immediately thereafter the panel voted against a motion to recommend approval. But they also voted in favor of a motion to reconsider the issue at their next meeting.

After several minutes of discussion on Monday, the commission voted 3-2 to recommend that the amendment not be added to the zoning language. Commissioners Jay Ball and Jason Towery voted in favor of approval, and Commissioners Ron Groom, Fred Clark and Chairwoman Swan Eaton voted against.

That recommendation will be passed on to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners, who will make the final determination next month.

The revised zoning language was proposed by Pierre-Louis and Joan Monteillet, who own Monteillet Fromagerie, a cheese-making firm west of Dayton. It would allow on-site sales of agriculturalbased products, including products not grown or produced at the site.

The Monteillets were informed in 2011 that they were in violation of county zoning regulations. They proposed the new language to make their business compliant.

During discussion on the proposed amendment on Monday, Clark said he felt that the proposed language violated the county's comprehensive plan, which does not allow commercial activity in a zone in which residences are a primary use, including AR-1. Ball countered that he felt that sales of agricultural goods related to the agricultural production at the site, should be allowed in the AR-1 zone, and that the conditional use permit process would allow the county to deny businesses that didn't fit that purpose.