By Jogee Lenarduzzi

The Planning and Zoning Commission approved all five requests proposed to them tonight in a quick quiet meeting.

They approved a zoning change for Ms. Mildred Rollins from neighborhood commercial to a multi-family high-density zoning. Apartments were built in 1966 on the area which until this meeting was incorrectly zoned as neighborhood commercial. Rollins was unaware of the mistake until just recently, as were the previous owners of the properties. She asked for the rezoning in case there was an accident on the property. If there were a fire and one of her apartments were to burn down she would not be legally allowed to rebuild. Although there was argument over the zoning change because of a current land dispute between Rollins and a neighbor, the commission approved the zoning change. Pat Bryan motioned to approve and was second by Ira Loveless. Jerry Emison also voted in favor of the zoning change, but Ben Bounds, James Hicks and John Moor voted against the change. Dora Herring broke the tie, voting in favor of the zoning change and the 48 apartments are now zoned correctly as multi-family high density.

The Commission also unanimously approved plat requests for Starkville Pediatric Clinic Subdivision, Cotton Quarters Condos, Collins Subdivision and Box Avenue Development.

Starkville Pediatric Clinic Subdivision will be located at 200 Hospital Road and will be privately owned by several doctors. It was the first development in Starkville that the Board of Aldermen approved for usage of a hammerhead drive instead of a cul-de-sac. According to city planner Ben Griffith the hammerhead allows enough space for fire trucks to turn around but is also a convenient alternative to the cul-de-sac.

Cotton Quarters Condos will be located on Jarnigan Street just North of Russell Street by the church and the cemetery on the corner of the Cotton District. The builders of the condos hope to market the condos to alumni of MSU.

The request for Collins Subdivision is simply a request to subdivide a large lot at 619 Greensboro Street. The owners of the lot wished divide the lot in two, selling one portion to a builder to build a home upon and the selling the other portion of the lot to neighbors to allow them to make their yard a bit larger. The second portion of the lot will be listed as a no building space.

The last decision of the night, the Box Avenue Development Plat request was approved with little discussion. The development will be located at 1208 Louisville Street immediately south of the Lutheran Church. The developers also plan on using a hammerhead design, and will not allow any parking on the street. A Hammerhead turnaround is a T-shaped street that allows enough space for an easy three point turn yet takes up less space than a cul-de-sac.

At tonights B.O.A. meeting Roy A. Perkins voted against setting a public hearing to consider the proposed budget and a possible increase in the tax levy.

“I don’t want to vote in favor of anything that looks, walks or smells like a tax increase,” Perkins said twice at the meeting. 

All other members of the board voted in favor of the motion set forward by P.C. “Mac” McLaurin. 

In reference to Perkins decision Sumner D. Davis III said, “I’m don’t want to pay more taxes than anyone else, but at some point, we have to be realistic… these things cost money.”

The board also held the first public hearing on the repeal and replacement of Starkville’s previous storm water control ordinance.  Two different contractors spoke on behalf of business owners against the change in ordinance.   The contractors have begun projects based on specifications set in the old ordinance and are now having to make costly adjustments because of the BOA’s opinion.  According to City Engineer, Edward C. Kemp the problems are arising because of contradictory writing in the previous ordinance, and that is why the Board is working toward passing a new, clearer ordinance.

For more information on the B.O.A. meeting, check Starkville Now tomorrow morning.

A request by Mr. Michael Kraker to allow residential uses in a business zone was shot down by the Board of Aldermen.  Kraker wanted to continue adding apartments next to one of his existing apartments on the corner of Highway 182 and North Montgomery, much to the dismay of surrounding neighbors.

            Aldermen Matt Cox motioned to deny Kraker’s request and the motion was second by Perkins and all aldermen present except Richard Corey agreed with the motion. Janette Self was not present at the meeting.

            The board voted in favor of four other requested zoning alterations that were previously reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

            The aldermen also approved the much discussed and revised False Alarm Ordinance, as well as the updated Administrative Fine Schedule Resolution and the adoption of a Stop Sign Implementation Policy.

            For more information on these decisions and unmentioned decisions please check out the Board of Aldermen article tomorrow.

By Jogee Lenarduzzi

The Planning and Zoning Commission denied a much-debated request to change a property on Academy Road from commercial use to multi-family. They then approved another controversial zoning conditional change near the corner of North Montgomery and Highway 182 East.

Both requests were discussed at length by members of the community during a public hearing at the P. and Z. meeting. The property on Academy Road is currently a horse pasture, but B&P Developers of Mississippi and hoped to rezone so they could build a 63-plot neighborhood of single-family homes. Developers Eric Parker and Frank Brewer wished to target the homes at young families and retirees, but neighbors to the project were unsupportive. The Board agreed with the neighbors and Commissioner Jerry Emison motioned to deny the request because he said the kinds of developments that are allowed by an R-3 (multi family zone) were not consistent with the current neighborhood. His motion was second by Commissioner Pat Bryan, and then approved by all members except Ben Bounds who opposed the motion and Hicks who did not vote because of his working connections.

The other property change was requested by Michael Kracker. He did not wish to change the zone, but to receive conditional usage for apartments in a general business zone. The property is next to an apartment complex already owned by Kracker, and the new complex is opposed by surrounding neighbors. After much debate and one failed motion by Emison to not approve the request, a motion was made by Ben Bounds to approve upon certain restrictions. The motion was second by Moor and passed by votes from Pat Bryan and Dora Herring. The motion was opposed by Hicks, Emison and Loveless.

For more information on these decisions and the rest of the meeting, check the full story tomorrow.

BOA approved a request from Starkville Police Department to contract with a private jail in Clay County for 15 bed for people arrested in Starkville. The contract lasts for the next three months and costs $35 per day, per bed. Considerable money has been spent on transporting prisoners to surrounding jails because Oktibbeha County Jail is currently full. This contract will save SPD time and money.

BOA approved a $10 thousand sponsorship to the MSU Student Association for this fall’s Bulldog Bash. They also heard from the Starkville Beautification Committee about a plan for urban renewal of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive/Highway 182. They BOA referred the plan to the Infrastructure Committee and will hear the Committee’s recommendations at the next BOA meeting.

For more information on the above items and the details on the rest of the meeting, read tomorrow’s post.