Board of Commissioners Rezones Several Barrow Properties

The Barrow County Board of Commissioners voted 4-2 during their Tuesday meeting against a special use permit application to allow a personal-care home within a Hoschton subdivision.

The applicants, Alexandrina and Florian Dume of 4525 Legacy Court, requested that the zoning status of their home be changed to allow them to operate the business.

Several nearby homeowners opposing the application displayed their unity by wearing red shirts to Tuesday’s meeting.

Fred Zimmerman, a Chateau Forest resident, spoke on behalf of the group.

“I speak in opposition to this because a special use permit, I believe, would open the door to our subdivision, which is single-family dwelling, to allow anyone to come by and say ‘I want a special use permit,’” Zimmerman stated. “We could end up with in-house nail salons, in-house hair stylists, or whatever if they get a special use permit.”

Although homeowners association covenants prohibit the change of subdivision homes from single-family to commercial use, Barrow Board of Commissioners Chairman Daniel Yearwood Jr. explained that the board is not legally obligated to enforce homeowners association guidelines.

Speaking on behalf of the Dumes, Winder attorney Mitch Musser requested that the Board consider the nature of the business to be operated and the fact that the homeowners meet state guidelines for zoning changes. Musser also provided a petition signed by the Dumes’ immediate neighbors in support of the permit.

Although the Barrow County Planning Department recommended approval of the permit, the Board of Commissioners voted along with the Barrow County Planning Commission to deny the permit. Commissioners Eva Elder and Larry Joe Wilburn where the two board members who voted to approve it. 

Other zoning decisions:

• The board voted to approve an application by Fred Wulf to allow a 1-acre lot owned by Mary Ann Floyd at 284 West May Street in Winder to be changed from residential to commercial zoning. The county planning department and commission approved the changes, stating that the location may “no longer be suitable for residential living” due to an increase in businesses in the area.
• The commissioners voted to rezone Andrew Hargrove’s property at 994 Jefferson Highway in Winder from commercial to single-family dwelling.
• The board approved a request by the to sell the property at 983 Highway 124 in Winder to a potential buyer for commercial use. The property is currently owned by Sharon Baptist Church.
• The board denied a special use permit request by Claudia Bejinariu to turn her home at 1008 Beaver Dam Road into a personal care home.
• The commissioners voted to approve an annexation request by Joyce M. Stephens to incorporate her property, located at 975 Monroe Highway, into Bethlehem city limits.

The Barrow County Board of Commissioners will next meet at 7 p.m., August 9, at the Barrow County .