Planning Commission agenda left bare after one withdrawn, one continued case
The Shelby County Planning Commission's last meeting of the year was shorter than expected after both agenda items were removed.
"We have a situation tonight that I have not had since I've been here," said planning commission chairman Ken Wilder. "Both cases have asked to come off [the agenda]."
Sheila Vaughn, the applicant for a rezoning request for a 7.1 acre property on Valleydale Road, withdrew her request, according to Wilder.
The applicant for the other agenda item, a request regarding The Village at Highland Lakes, requested for the case to be continued to the planning commission's next meeting, which will be Jan. 17, 2017. The agenda item was a request for an amendment to The Village at Highland Lakes' master plan, which would "reconfigure portions of the proposed subdivision to accommodate necessary grading."
Wayne Standifer, a representative of Eddleman Development, said the request to continue the case came from a desire to hold meetings with residents of the surrounding properties.
"We found out there's so many questions that people had about what's going on, to keep any kind of confusion and people upset about this and the wrong thing going out ... We were going to try to get some meetings with different sectors," Standifer said.
Each sector, Standifer said, would have a representative who would hear the plans Eddleman has for The Village at Highland Lakes, and then be able to relay that information.
"That way, we don't come here and just [argue] at each other. We know, when we walk in that day, what we're requesting and what we're not," Standifer said. "We felt like y'all had too many questions and didn't know what was going on, and I felt like it was our job and our responsibility to tell you before we got in here."
Wilder thanked Standifer for the decision to meet with residents of surrounding properties. While the planning commission does not and cannot request those meetings are held, Wilder said they are helpful to keep everyone informed.
The next Shelby County Planning Commission meeting will be Jan. 17, 2017.