By John Howell
City officials during their April 7 meeting granted to Raceway Fuel Center on Covenant Drive a variance that allows a portable building already in place to remain there for a year.

The variance was one of four granted during public hearings during the regular, First Tuesday meeting of the mayor and aldermen.

The Raceway operator moved a portable storage building on the property that does not meet city site and design standards, Code Administrator Pam Comer said, speaking to the mayor and aldermen.

“The Planning Commission chose not to act on it and deferred it to y’all,” Comer said, speaking to the mayor and aldermen. “They were in need of immediate storage. My recommendation would be to give them a year to leave that storage building there and within that year they need to get plans to the planning commission for site and building review for a permanent addition to the building so that it will be cohesive with the existing building and not change the looks of the area out there.”

Aldermen voted unanimously to allow the portable building to remain for one year on the condition that a replacement or addition to the existing building be completed within the year.
City officials also gave approval to addition plans by AAAA Storage on Highway 6 East.
“The Planning Commission is pleased with the way it looks,” Batesville Code Administrator Pam Comer said, speaking to the mayor, aldermen and AAAA owner Larry Cole. AAAA Storage was developed from a vacant building that once housed a meat packing business and later a food distribution center.

Sign variances for Love’s Travel Center and Guaranty Bank also received unanimous approval after public hearings. The request by Paul Williams to be allowed a larger sign than currently permitted by the city’s sign regulations was granted with little discussion. The sign will identify Love’s Tire Barn at the travel center, Comer said.

Guaranty Bank’s variance request was for a lighted LED message board sign at its new bank building on Highway 6 East.

“We’re having this come up a lot because it’s not allowed in our sign regulations,” Comer said, referring to increasing requests for LED message board signs. She said a committee had been formed by the planning commission to revamp sign regulations.

In other code department matters:
— Aldermen gave property owner Southern Views two weeks to get a general remodeling permit for a house at 217 Pearson Street. Comer said that owner Robert Crites had received three extensions since May, 2014 to bring two properties at the site up to city code.

Vicki Crites, who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, said that the roof had been replaced and other improvements completed. She cited frequent rainfall as having delayed further efforts to rehabilitate the property.

“I have been trying to do some work on some buildings the last few months, and I have had trouble doing it,” Alderman Stan Harrison said. “The weather’s been horrible.”

— Aldermen also set three public hearings for next month for conditional use permits to allow temporary food vendors to sell from Mid-Town Market, Tractor Supply and Panola Plaza Shopping Center.