Court delays vote to allow whiskey warehouses on tracts under 100 acres

Nelson Fiscal Court.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, July 19, 2016, 9 p.m. — Nelson Fiscal Court delayed taking action on a change to the county’s zoning regulations that would allow the construction of distilled spirits warehouses on tracts zoned Agricultural and smaller than 100 acres.

Magistrates Keith Metcalfe, right, and Sam Hutchins review information on surplus state vehicles prior to voting to approve their purchase on the condition they pass inspection by fiscal court’s equipment committee.

The proposed zoning amendment would allow warehouses on tracts of land between 20 and 100 acres in size as a conditional use. Distilled spirits warehouses are already an allowed use on agriculturally zoned tracts larger than 100 acres. The maximum size warehouse is 40,000 square feet.

The difference is that on smaller tracts and as a conditional use, adjacent property owners would be notified and a public hearing would be required, allowing those with concerns to voice them.

Judge Executive Dean Watts expressed support for the change. But Magistrates Sam Hutchins and Keith Metcalfe each expressed concern with allowing warehouses on tracts as small as 20 acres.

“You don’t want a warehouse next to a subdivision,” Metcalfe said. “I don’t know about letting them pop up everywhere.”

Hutchins said staying with the 100-acre minimum would prevent fights over placing warehouses on smaller tracts that could be located close to subdivisions and more densely populated areas.

“As long as this whiskey boom is going, its a good thing, but I don’t know about allowing them to scatter around the county,” Hutchins said.

According to the Janet Johnston-Crowe, planning commission director, any agricultural-zoned 20-acre tract that met the requirements for setbacks from property lines is the minimum size tract that would give room for construction of two warehouses.

Magistrate Jeff Lear listens to staff reports during Tuesday’s Nelson Fiscal Court meeting.

The benefit of the proposal is that it would allow smaller distillery operators — like craft distillers — to build their own storage facilities on a scale they can afford, Watts said.

The court took no action on the proposal. Watts asked the magistrates to think the proposal over for consideration at a future meeting.

DISTRICT 4 PAVING PROJECTS. The court approved paving requests submitted by District 4 Magistrate Jeff Lear.

The paving list included:

– 4,500 feet of Hibbs Lane;
– 1,945 feet of Spalding Lane;
– 2,050 feet of Locust Grove Court;
– 1,500 feet of Hall Loop;
– 3,100 feet of Venetian Way.

ROCKET DOCKET. Watts told the court that he was in discussions regarding the county’s participation in setting up a “rocket docket” court, which would expedite the legal process for some offenders. The goal is to reduce the time between an arrest and the resolution of an individual’s court case.

The move would reduce the time prisoners are in jail as county prisoners, saving local tax dollars. Once an inmate is sentenced, he or she becomes a state prisoner. The state pays county jails to house state prisoners, eliminating the cost to local taxpayers.

The idea is working in other counties, and Watts told the magistrates there will be a presentation for the court at a future meeting.

In other business, the court:

— approved a request for speed humps on Freeman Avenue in the patio homes section of Woodlawn Springs subdivision.

— voted to approve the purchase of two state surplus dump trucks and one maintenance truck. The dump trucks would be used primarily for snow plowing, Road Department Engineer Jim Lemieux told the court. The court approved the purchase on the requirement that the vehicles pass inspection of the fiscal court equipment committee.

— approved a lease with the City of Bloomfield for use of their emergency services building for use by Nelson County EMS on the condition that minor changes are approved by the county attorney.

— briefly discussed a request by Luxco to transfer its state incentives to a different division of the company. The necessary paperwork had not yet arrived, Watts said, so no action was taken.

— approved advertising for four police cruisers for the sheriff’s office.

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