Warren County’s planning and zoning board gave their thumbs up to an expansion at Big Joel’s Safari and two other commercial projects during their monthly public meeting June 17.
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Warren County’s planning and zoning board gave their thumbs up to an expansion at Big Joel’s Safari and two other commercial projects during their monthly public meeting June 17.
Joel and Melissa Clinger, the owners of the Big Joel’s Safari exotic animal zoo on Highway M, are seeking to add an additional 40 acres to the land permitted for use by the park, which is currently 14 acres. The added land would be at the back side of the park.
The Clingers came before the planning board to request a new conditional use permit (CUP) for the combined property. They explained that only a small part of the expansion area would be accessible to guests.
“We don’t necessarily want people to walk on all 40 acres. ... We just need a smidgen more for people to walk on, for a couple ideas that we have,” said Melissa Clinger. “In the back we’ll maybe grow our pens for some of the livestock.”
Warren County Planning and Zoning Administrator Vickie Vohsen explained that the Clingers already own the back 40 acres and keep some animals there, but that the land wasn’t considered part of the zoo. She said Big Joel’s hasn’t had any written complaints or ordinance violations in the eight years it’s been operating.
“The Clingers run a good business and are an asset to Warren County,” Vohsen commented.
Planning board members agreed, with several commenting that they’ve enjoyed taking their families to the zoo, and see it as a quality facility.
Two nearby neighbors spoke during the June 17 public meeting. While they said they like the park, they are concerned about increasing traffic caused by people visiting the area of Highway M. That’s something the county should keep in mind when approving developments, they said.
The planning board unanimously approved the CUP for the expanded zoo area.
Less straightforward was a rezoning request from the Lake Sherwood Estates Association and a site acquisition company working for AT&T. A rezone is needed on a property owned by the association in order to build a 170-foot cell phone tower, explained Matt Schlichter with Network Real Estate LLC.
Supporters say a tower is needed to provide reliable service to the 500 homes in the Lake Sherwood community. Resident Gary Banderman Jr., who is a board member for the Marthasville Ambulance District, said poor cell service is an ongoing safety concern in the community.
One Lake Sherwood property owner spoke against the project, saying she fears a decline in her property value if a tower is next door.
Before the cell phone tower can be built, the plan needs to go through at least three rounds of voting by the county planning board and/or the Warren County Commission. The planning board gave a unanimous yes vote on June 17 to get it started.
New owners are taking over the maintenance garage that once served the Emmaus Homes property outside Marthasville on Highway D. Plan-It Investments Group owner Katherine Dodson was granted a CUP to establish a small construction office at the garage, with a unanimous vote from the planning board.
Dodson said the front section of the garage is intended to be rented to a separate tenant, likely an auto repair business.
As part of the CUP, the planning board set limits on the facility’s hours of operation and restricted the number of derelict vehicles that can be kept on the property.
