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City council approves all five zoning requests for CJC
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
The Houston County Criminal Justice Center (CJC), which has been in the works for more than a dozen years, took a gigantic step towards becoming a reality Monday night. The Caledonia City Council unanimously approved five separate zoning requests to locate the CJC in downtown Caledonia.
The June 29 action by the city council now enables the county to move forward with the 65,000 square foot building, which will be located just east of the existing courthouse and jail along Pine Street.
About 25 persons attended Monday night’s public hearing, held at the Municipal Auditorium, which lasted about 45 minutes. There were four persons who posed questions and voiced concerns over the current CJC plans.
Bob Klug, who’s home will be just 30 feet south of the new structure, asked if the footprint of the current plans was the same as it was when the county was proposing an 85,000 square foot structure.
Mayor Bob Burns said that the footprint was approximately the same size, but that the 65,000 square foot structure met the medicated criteria. Burns was referring to terms that were agreed upon during an eight-hour mediation session with a court-appointed mediator this past winter.
Klug also said he was concerned about the 15-foot setback variance off Pine Street. He didn’t feel the CJC would be in line with homes located along Pine Street.
City Zoning Administrator Mike Gerardy said he had measured other homes along that side of Pine Street and found they were all 15 feet or less to the road right-of-way.
Klug also said he was concerned about a drop in his property value and asked the council members if they would like to have this type of structure built 30 feet from their homes.
Councilwoman Randi Vick pointed out the current jail and court house were both built many years before Klug’s home was, and long before Klug moved into his home.
“You have spent a lot of money fixing up your home and have a lot invested in it,” Vick said. “As far as a drop in property value, I don’t know. If it was being built next to my house, I probably wouldn’t like it either.”
Former city councilman Gary Klug said he knew there were fire department access issues that had been brought up back when he was on the city council. He asked if they had been addressed.
Burns said he felt the architects had made improvements in this area.
Fire Chief Chuck Gavin said he only had a short time to review the most current plans and thought there were still some access issues.
“In the event we approve the county’s requests tonight, the final plans will have to be drawn up to state fire marshal standards. If you have concerns, it would be best for you to sit down with the planning committee and address them while the final plans are being developed,” Burns suggested.
Bob McCarthy asked when the taxpayers of Houston County would know just how much the CJC is going to cost them. County Commissioner Larry Connery explained if the city council approves the county’s requests, the architects will work up a more indepth plan, get cost estimates and see if it is feasible to move forward from there.
There were no more questions posed or public comment and the public hearing was closed.
The council spent the next half hour going over the various requests, one by one, and voting on each request separately.
The five zoning requests were to permit a government building in a R-2 residential district, to grant a 15-foot setback variance along Pine Street, to vacate a segment of Washington Street between Pine Street and the courthouse, to vacate a segment of Marshall Street between South Street and Courthouse Square, and to approve the plans for the CJC as outlined in the application and plans, dated May 29, 2009.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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