Rezoning for several areas of Cumberland County, including rezoning the property of Cumberland Pharmacy, were recommended by the Cumberland County Planning Commission after public hearings on June 24.

The first rezoning that was recommended consisted of several parcels in the area of Old Buckingham Road and Brook Hill Road in the Sunny Side Meadows site. The property was zoned Residential-2 (R-2) and property owners have requested to have the parcels rezoned to Agricultural-2 (A-2).

“There are some parcels being used for agricultural purposes, which is in violation with the Cumberland County Code due to livestock restrictions in the R-2 zoning district,” the staff report written by Planning & Zoning Administrator J.P. Duncan cited. “This rezoning would bring these parcels into compliance with Cumberland County Code.”

The recommendation to rezone the Cumberland Pharmacy, located at 1756 and 1758 Anderson Highway, initially took place during the May planning commission meeting. However, it was re-advertised because the pharmacy was initially advertised to be rezoned from R-2 and A-2 to Business-3 (B-3). Commissioners decided during the May meeting to change the rezoning to Business-1 (B-1).

“A doctor’s office and a pharmacy are currently located on the property,” the staff report for the rezoning amendment from the May meeting read. “The owner is requesting a larger sign be placed on the property. This rezoning would allow for the property to conform with Cumberland County Code as well as allow for a larger sign to be placed there.”

The last public hearing included amendments to the county’s family subdivision ordinance. In this ordinance, a property owner is more easily able to subdivide a portion of their land to a family member, according to Duncan in a June 26 phone interview.

“It allows a family to subdivide a piece of property off to … a child, spouse, sibling, grandchild, parent or grandparent, without having to go through the rigor of the subdivision ordinance,” Duncan said.

Some of the changes to the ordinance, Duncan said, included cleaning up the wording of the ordinance.

The holding periods for the family subdivision ordinance also have proposed changes.

“It was that you had to have owned (the property) for 15 years and then whoever got the property had to own it for 15 years,” Duncan said about the initial ordinance. “On that front end, I had a couple of people ask about it.”

Duncan said the planning decided to reduce the holding periods on both ends. Now, the property owner only needs to own the property for two consecutive years before subdividing it to a family member.

According to the ordinance, the property owner places, in the deed, a restrictive covenant on the subdivided property that would prohibit the transfer of the property to a nonmember of the immediate family for a period of at least 10 years, rather than 15 years.