Rock Spring, GA – The Walker County Planning Commission held a discussion last month to start forming a list of recommendations to update a few land development regulations.
The Planning Commission talked about property line buffers for new poultry houses, creating a special zone for things like yurts, and establishing minimum square footage requirements for residential dwellings, such as tiny homes.
You can watch the discussion on our Youtube channel.
Did you know that poultry is the largest commodity produced in Walker County, with roughly 200 poultry houses generating a 2018 farm gate value of $56.7 million? Businesses and individuals working in other sectors, such as banking, real estate, accounting and transportation also depend on the poultry industry for their livelihood.
Commissioner Whitfield plans to appoint a study committee on best practices for poultry houses at his February 13th meeting. Mike Bunn, Walker County Farm Bureau President, has agreed to head up the panel. Along with Bunn, the following individuals will serve on the committee:
- Betts Berry
- John Howard
- Eugene Ridley
- Cindy Askew
- Wade Hutcheson
- Phillip Cantrell
- Sam Bowman
As for tiny homes, the Planning Commission will continue the discussion at its next meeting, which will be held at 6:00 p.m. on February 20th at the Walker County Civic Center.
If the Planning Commission votes to recommend changes, those suggestions would be sent to the Commissioner’s Office to review and draft into a formal ordinance amendment. The proposed changes would then be advertised in the Walker County Messenger and on the Walker County Government website. Two Public Hearings would also be held before the recommendations would be considered for approval at a Regular Meeting.