Zoning board denies request for school

Existing regulations prohibit school construction on any plot of land smaller than 5 acres.

Lucretia Birmingham of Hornbeak wants to build a 2,000-square-foot building on a 2-acre lot on Hammer Road near the Millsfield Highway. She provides a training program for nurse aides as part of a faith-based community outreach project.

Since Birmingham doesn't have enough land to satisfy the zoning regulations, the BZA was forced to deny the request on Tuesday afternoon. But, the board passed a motion asking the Dyer County Regional Planning Commission to consider amending the zoning regulations.

Current zoning regulations assume all schools will be fairly sizeable and state that a school must have 5 acres for the first 100 students.

Birmingham said she doesn't believe her school will ever be that large. She said state regulations limit her class to 25 students for each instructor, and she's the only instructor.

The planning commission, which met July 9, anticipated the BZA request and asked a state planner to draw an amendment. The amendment is expected to be ready for the planning commission's August meeting.

If the planning commission approves the amendment, it will advance to the Dyer County Commission. Dyer County Building Inspector Daniel Cobb said the county commission must hold a public hearing on the amendment before voting on it.