Tyrone Planning Commission Aug. 31 voted to recommend the annexation and rezoning of a 16.69-acre tract previously objected to by Fayette County. Planning commissioners agreed to recommend the annexation with the condition that only one residence be built on the site and that the city receive a quit claim deed for a 25-foot right-of-way for future road improvements.

Property owner James Heath asked commissioners to consider the annexation based on his primary desire to receive increased police services. He told commissioners the tract was largely flood plain property and that he only intended to construct one single residence on the property. City consultant Jonathan Lewis said he found no major problems with the request, adding that the request met the standards of annexation and recommending the condition of a single residence on the site.

From Fayette County’s perspective, Chairman Greg Dunn in a July 20 letter said the county “objects to the annexation as presented by the Town of Tyrone because, if annexed and rezoned as proposed, development of the property could result in a significant change in the intensity of the allowable use of this site.”

Dunn added that the county has concerns about the protection of Trickum Creek, a tributary of Line Creek, one of Fayette’s most valuable water sources. Dunn said Fayette County’s watershed protection regulations provide greater protection to Trickum Creek than those of Tyrone. Also cited was the hope that Tyrone will provide for future improvement of Trickum Creek Road by requiring the dedication of sufficient right-of-way.

Planning commissioners said they believed the decision to recommend the annexation and rezoning, based on their assessment and Heath’s agreement with the conditions, was a proper move. The decision, commissioners said, takes into account the concerns expressed by the county, concerns they said were answered by the conditions imposed.

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