Archived story
As originally published
Franklin County commissioners have approved Eugene Pittman’s request to convert an older manufactured home at 2753 Prospect Road in the Toccoa area into a storage building. Planning and Zoning Commission minutes dated June 18 report that the Board of Commissioners approved variance V-2026-003 by a 3–2 vote for the roughly 2.24-acre tract.
The decision determines whether the older structure may remain on a property discussed by county officials as having two homes. By permitting a nonresidential storage use, the variance gives Pittman a path to keep the manufactured home without treating it as a dwelling. The narrow vote also signals that the request drew disagreement within the county’s decision-making process.
The request entered the formal process when the Planning and Zoning Commission placed it on its May 21 agenda. At that meeting, the commission discussed converting the old manufactured home to storage and possible conditions, including boarding its windows. The commission later sent commissioners a 3–1 recommendation for conditional approval. At a June 1 public hearing, Pittman said he had not yet moved into the new home because he was awaiting the power company after inspection and approval; the Board’s subsequent 3–2 approval settled the variance itself.
Pittman sought approval to retain the older manufactured home in a storage role at 2753 Prospect Road. The Planning and Zoning Commission supported that outcome 3–1 with conditions, according to Board of Commissioners meeting minutes. County commissioners ultimately approved the variance 3–2, but the June 18 Planning and Zoning Commission minutes do not identify the individual votes or explain the positions of the two commissioners who opposed it.
The variance is approved, not pending. What remains unresolved publicly is how that approval will be carried out: the record says the planning commission recommended conditions, but it does not reproduce the Board’s motion or state which conditions, if any, were adopted. It also does not establish whether boarding windows became mandatory, whether utilities must be disconnected, or when work to convert the structure will begin.
The next public sign of follow-through would be a county record that sets out implementation requirements, documents an amendment or records work on the former home. Until such a record appears, residents can see that the land-use question has been decided but cannot determine the conversion schedule or the practical rules that will govern the structure’s transition to storage.