Nelson Fiscal Court denies JR Ballard zoning change following public hearing

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, July 15, 2025 — Following a public hearing regarding a zoning change on property at the intersection of JR Ballard Lane and Loretto Road, Nelson Fiscal Court voted 5-1 against the requested change from A-1 agriculture to R1A single family residential.

The zoning request was to allo the property, involving just over six acres, to be divided into six tracts, three facing Loretto Road, and three others facing JR Ballard Lane.

The planning commission recommended denial of the zoning change, and the property owners sought Nelson Fiscal Court’s review of the decision.

The planning commission’s objections centered largely on the fact that JR Ballard Lane was only about 10 feet wide. According to residents, two vehicles can’t pass each other on the road; one of the vehicles usually is forced to back up to reach a point where the other vehicle can pass.

JR Ballard Lane residents cited the road’s narrow width as their main objection to the zoning change. Three new tracts on the road would add to the existing number of vehicles that travel the roadway.

County government has attempted to widen JR Ballard Lane over the years, according to Magistrate Keith Metcalfe, who represents the county’s first district where the property is located. Former property owners refused to give up any right-of-way that would have allowed the county to widen the road, so the road was never widened.

Metcalfe argued in favor of the rezoning, citing the need for more affordable housing — and tracts of land that are more affordable than five-acre tracts.

But the balance of fiscal court wasn’t swayed by his argument that the county’s existing comprehensive plan was outdated, and needed to be updated to allow for more freedom for property owners to subdivide their property.

Metcalfe made a motion to approve the zoning change, but it failed in a 4-1 vote, with Metcalfe casting the only vote in favor. Magistrate Jeff Lear made a motion to vote in concurrence with the planning commission’s vote to deny the zoning change.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE APPROVED. Following an executive session about litigation and the possible sale or purchase of real estate, the court approved a motion by Metcalfe to update the county’s comprehensive plan by Jan. 1, 2026.

In other business, the court:

— Approved a contract for a new Computer Aided Dispatch system from 10-8 Systems. While the company’s dispatch software doesn’t have all the functions the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office needs, the company says if they are selected as the CAD software vendor, they will add the needed functionality to their software to meet the needs of the sheriff’s office.

The magistrate’s vote included a deadline of Jan. 1, 2026, to have the software updated to meet the sheriff’s office needs.

— Approved second-reading of an ordinance that will make street-legal utility vehicles legal to operate on the county roadways. The county’s ordinance also includes a requirement for all such vehicles to have DOT-approved highway tires.

— Approved a contract for Tyler Wimsett to again serve as county recreation director at Dean Watts Park.

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