Council Denies Guntersville Road
Rezoning Request

November 17, 2009
The Arab City Council denied a request to rezone a parcel of land located at 217 Guntersville Road from R-2 to R-B Monday night.

The Arab Planning Commission had denied the request during an earlier hearing. Councilman Ronny Shumate, who serves on the planning commission said the owner had not shown up at the hearing to speak for the request. Shumate said the commission denied the request due to insufficient information about the intended use of the property under the proposed zoning.

The property owner, who lives in Augusta, Georgia, arrived about twenty minutes after the council voted to denied the request. Wondella Shellhorse Perry told the council that she was caught in Atlanta traffic and asked the council to reconsider their actions. Mayor Gary Beam told Perry that she would have to begin the process again by re-submitting her request to the planning commission.

Four people spoke against the rezoning request during a public hearing on the matter. Jackie Hinds and Todd Isom, who own nearby property spoke in opposition to the proposal. Peggy Laminack and her husband also objected to the rezoning.