City Without A Plan


I received a call yesterday from someone claiming that they represent Kirkland Enterprises. I vaguely remembered a Kirkland Enterprise when I was on the planning and zoning committee, but this guy's voice didn't sound familiar and he would not give a direct answer when I asked him to repeat his name. He asked a few questions and they were all about the planning and zoning committee. Years ago, there was a Kirkland that owned some property on Lower Airport Road and he wanted to establish a trailer park (manufactured home) on his property. At the time his request was made, the City of Lumberton was preparing to establish a comprehensive plan and there was a moratorium placed on bringing trailers into the city limits of Lumberton. After a lot of time and money ($35,000) the City of Lumberton adopted a comprehensive plan and Lower Airport Road was designated as Agricultural-Residential. But now there's a problem. Since Ben Winston didn't want to pay a fine for the storage of the trailers on his property; his co-horts, (Gibson, Johnson and Crider) disbanded the planning and zoning committee which has left the city without a legal recourse to enforce the comprehensive plan. The city still has a comprehensive plan, but it's no longer enforced. You may have noticed the various buildings and trailers that have been showing up in the city limits.
The man I spoke with wanted to know if he could establish a trailer park on a lot of property on Lower Airport Road. I told him that he can go to city hall and get a copy of the minutes where the planning and zoning committee was disbanded. I told him that I heard that a Katrina Cottage Village was being established on Camp Avenue and Bobby Gibson "allegedly" told the owner to go ahead with his plans. I also told the individual that although there is no planning and zoning committee in place, he is still obligated to adhere to the State of Mississippi's Board of Health guidelines regarding water, sewage and garbage disposal. I told him that the State of Mississippi requires all cities to have a planning and zoning committee (17-11-1) and Ordinance 187 (local law) also requires the City of Lumberton to have a planning and zoning committee, but our board has decided not to adhere to those laws or ordinances.
The man didn't give me a time line for his plans, but he said that he would like to have at least five trailers available for occupancy before the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year. If something's not done soon, it looks like there's gonna be some new residents living next door to the Carl Hancock Trust on Lower Airport Road.

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