A special use request to allow for a truck terminal on Cleveland Highway just north of Clermont was denied by the Hall County Commission Thursday.
The applicant, Hulsey Environmental Services, was appealing an October 2018 denial by the Hall County Planning Commission to allow the business to hold it's executive offices and house trucks in the location.
Several nearby residents spoke against the request, saying the business had already been operating on the site near Hub Head Road and creating odor and light pollution in the surrounding area. One of those was
"I have no problem with (Hulsey) operating his administrative offices out of there," Chris Hollifield said after the meeting. "If he had a business that didn't have trucks that had odor on them, he could probably park trucks there, but it's the odor from those particular trucks that does not belong in this zoning, it's more industrial use."
Hulsey Environmental Services was represented at the meeting by attorney Joshua Scoggins, who said that the October vote of the county planning commission shouldn't have been considered a denial.
"We had, basically, two members vote in favor and one member vote against and we had one member who didn't vote at all, so based on his reading of the ordinance, the planning director came out later and made the determination that the application was denied," Scoggins said.
Scoggins said after the meeting that he would advise Hulsey Environmental Services to appeal the decision to superior court.
"I think we've got a good legal case going forward to have all of this reversed," Scoggins said.
District Three Commissioner Shelly Echols made the motion to deny the special use, while also motioning to remove a separate item from Thursday's agenda that would have started a hearing on revoking Hulsey Environmental Services' business license. Both motions were approved unanimously by the other commissioners, with the exception of District One Commissioner Kathy Cooper, who was not present.
The hearing lasted over 30 minutes and while residents for and against Hulsey's application attended the meeting, the only public comments by residents were from those against the request.
