Owner of Riverwatch Guardshack to Lease Property Where It Sets from County

February 1, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The owner of a welcome center/guardshack wants to lease from the county the property on which it stands at the entrance of Riverwatch Golf Club and Resort on Billings Road.

Terms of the lease, still to be prepared, were established and approved by the county commission Monday night.

The guardshack was erected several years ago on the Billings Road right of way (a county road) by the owners of Riverwatch Golf Club and Resort with the approval of the county road supervisor at that time. After the guardshack was erected Billings Road was widened and divided at the point where the guardshack stands. Beyond the guardshack the road forks to Hopper Ridge Road to the right and Highland Trail to the left. The guardshack basically serves as a post where security cameras monitor traffic in and out of the community. The road is not gated and no motorist is denied passage.

John Fitzmartin, the new owner of Riveratch (Final Putt LLC) addressed the county commission at a workshop last Thursday night saying he wants to sell the guardshack building to the neighboring Mountain Harbour Property Owners Association but the land on which the building stands is owned by the county and is part of the Billings Road right of way. He asked that the county resolve the land issue going forward.

In response, the county commission Monday night voted to enter into a 99 year lease with the owner of the guardshack building for one dollar a year. Other terms are that the road continue to be open to the public and not gated; that the owner provide proof of liability insurance coverage; that the guardshack be maintained for the life of the lease; and that the owner pay the county’s costs of preparing the lease.

January 30, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The City of Smithville is cracking down on those who keep junked vehicles in plain sight on their properties.

(TO VIEW THE NEW JUNKED VEHICLE ORDINANCE CLICK THE PDF LINK AT THE END OF THIS STORY BOTTOM OF THE PAGE)

During Tuesday night’s special meeting, the aldermen adopted on first reading an ordinance regulating junked vehicles on public and private property in the City of Smithville. Second and final reading action will come following a public hearing during a meeting in March.

Mayor Josh Miller raised the issue at the last regular monthly meeting on January 7th.

“This is something that has come up and I hear it about vehicles parked everywhere. They are not tagged and have not been driven in five to ten years. It doesn’t look good. I think its time to do something about that. We don’t have an ordinance on that” said Mayor Miller.

“This is something the board and I feel is needful in the city. I think people need to keep their property up to par. I think the city council would agree and I think most of the citizens would agree. I think this will help property values. If you are someone who takes pride in your place and you live beside someone who doesn’t have that same pride in their place it is harmful to the neighborhood and doesn’t look good,” Mayor Miller told WJLE.

Under the ordinance a city police officer is authorized to issue an ordinance summons for violations on private property either upon complaint of any citizen or the officer’s own information. But the city intends to give violators a chance to remove their junked vehicles before taking them to court.

Property owners in violation will be sent a letter from the city asking them to address the violation within 30 days or risk being cited into city court and subject to a $50 civil penalty for each separate violation of the ordinance. Each day of the violation shall be considered a separate violation.

“Once you receive a letter you will have 30 days to get it cleaned up and police officers will have the authority to issue an ordinance summons or citation,” said Mayor Miller.

If the owner of the premises refuses to comply with a court order to correct the violation, the city judge can order the city to take the corrective action and pass the costs onto the property owner. If the property owner fails to pay the bill the city can add further fees on the tax rolls as a lien on the property and collect the fees in the same manner as city taxes are collected.

The ordinance makes exceptions for persons who park, store, keep, and maintain a junked vehicle on private property completely enclosed within a building and not visible from the street or abutting property; if the junked vehicle is in the process of being restored; or if the junked vehicle is parked or stored on property lawfully zoned for business engaged in wrecking, junking, or repairing vehicles.

Ordinance Regulating Junked Vehicles.pdf

January 30, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The Smithville Aldermen have adopted an updated zoning classification ordinance with a new color coded map as recommended by the Smithville Planning Commission.

(CLICK LINKS TO VIEW PDF OF ORDINANCE AND COLOR MAP AT THE END OF THIS STORY BOTTOM OF THE PAGE)

First reading action was taken on the ordinance during a special meeting Tuesday night at city hall. Second and final reading action will be scheduled at a meeting in March following a public hearing.

According to City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson, the new ordinance is intended to simplify the designations of zoning districts.

The R-1 (low-density residential) districts (single-family dwelling, excluding mobile homes) and R-2 (high density residential) districts (multi-family dwellings) will remain the same. All the R-3 (high density residential) districts will be re-classified as R-2.

B-1 districts (business uses) will be re-classified as C-1 (commercial districts) for small businesses.

B-2 district (central business district) will be re-designated as C-2 (commercial district) for businesses in the downtown area.

M-1 districts (manufacturing uses) will be re-classified as I-1 (Industrial Districts) for light industry uses.

The new color coded zoning map shows the following:
R-1 districts (yellow)
R-2 districts (orange)
C-1 district (pink)
C-2 districts (red)
I-1 districts (purple)

Smithville Zoning Map 2019-2.pdf

Smithville-Zoning-Ordinance.pdf

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