Council puts skids on RD-1 rezoning

WINNSBORO – After cursing the Fairfeld County Planning Commissioners last week for not seeing things her way, Dori Brandenberg showed up at the County Council meeting Monday night with toned down rhetoric. but with the same goal – to persuade a vote in favor of a rezoning that would allow Alex Ferrell to place a mobile home on a five-acre parcel he recently purchased on Lake Monticello.

After the Commission’s vote to not send forward a recommendation to Council to rezone the property, Brandenberg, who does not live in the neighborhood, interrupted the proceedings to tell the Commissioners, among other things, that, “It’s [expletive] like this that kills this town!”

At issue is that the land is zoned Rural Residential (R-1) which allows only stick-built and modular homes. Ferrell requested a change in the zoning of his parcel from R-1 to Rural Residential (RD-1) which would allow mobile homes. But, according to the zoning ordinance it would also allow commercial development which is not allowed now.

Four residents from the Monticello community spoke against the rezoning.

“Our main concern is that if he [Ferrell] gets the property zoned for one mobile home, he would then be allowed to put five mobile homes there and it would open [the zoning] to all that is allowed in the Rural Residential zoning district.” Donna Glynn Holly told the Commissioners.

“This is an historic district and we want to preserve it. We aren’t trying to deprive anyone, but we don’t want it to be opened up for a store or car repair business,” Holly said. “They say that is not what they would do, but when you open it up to Rural Residential zoning, that is precisely what is allowed under that zoning.”

“We just want to preserve the integrity of our commumnity and keep it zoned for residential,” Holly said.

Council voted 5-1 against the  measure. Councilman Mikel Trapp voted for the rezoning and Councilman Doug Pauley was absent.

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