Pulaski County has brought an area farm into compliance with local zoning laws, but also opened the possibility for future expansion.
The Pulaski County Commissioners approved a recommendation from the Plan Commission to change 150 acres of land from a zoning of A1 to A2 as part of the maneuver. Planning Department Assistant Quentin Blount says the issue started back in 2011 when Pulaski County’s zoning ordinance was adopted.
“They only had a 9.4 acre parcel that was zoned A2,” says Blount. “Under the current ordinance, you need a minimum of 40 acres, and so technically, they were non-conforming.”
The Hilltop Hog Farm, owned by the Gady family, expressed an interest in expanding their operations to include a compost building. That building would, according to the family, smooth their operations. The ordinance, however, disallowed the expansion due to the non-conforming nature of the land zoning.
Apart from the 9.4 acres under question, the family owned an adjacent 150 acres over two parcels. The Plan Commission recommended rezoning the plots contained in the acreage from A1 to A2 to bring their CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) into compliance and allow the expansion.
Blount says the farming operation went well above the minimum acreage needed to complete the change.
“That way, you know, they can add their compost building now and if they do plan to expand in the future, they have plenty of room to do that,” says Blount.
The Pulaski County Commissioners adopted the rezoning recommendation, unanimously.
Blount indicated that the family did not necessarily indicate an expansion was imminent, but that the possibility is now available for future generations.
