Chirico Property AA-to-RR Zone Change
Rezoning request for 571/599 Porter Street tied to firewood operations and opposed by residents over neighborhood impacts.
The Chirico AA-to-RR zone change and related text amendment for firewood processing at 571/599 Porter Street arose from a cease-and-desist order and remain pending after two contentious commission hearings. Residents cite noise, violations, and the 2012 denial while the applicant seeks to resolve nonconformity and enable regulated operations. The commission has closed the zone-change hearing but continued the text amendment without a final decision.
The Chirico property rezoning issue originated from a cease-and-desist order issued to applicant Rosemarie Chirico for firewood processing operations at 571/599 Porter Street, prompting a request to amend zoning regulations to permit such activity as an accessory use in the Rural Residence (RR) zone.
On June 1, 2026, the planning-zoning-commission opened discussion on Zoning Regulation Amendment 27-2026 and continued the linked Zone Change ZC-6-2026 public hearing by an 8-1 vote to allow revised text and further review.
The June 15, 2026 meeting continued both the zone-change application (0062026) for AA-to-RR rezoning—with an applicant-offered amendment to retain an AA buffer along Hickory Lane—and the text amendment, which had been revised to a special-exception framework with lot-size and area-cap requirements.
Residents presented extensive opposition during public comment on June 15, detailing ongoing industrial noise, clear-cutting, past violations, and the absence of changed conditions since a 2012 denial of a similar request, while one speaker supported the business for local benefits.
The commission closed the zone-change public hearing by a 7-2 roll-call vote and continued the text amendment by a 6-3 vote, with no decision reached on the rezoning itself and the text amendment hearing set for July 6.
The applications remain tied to consistency with the POCD and potential special-exception conditions on hours, buffers, and screening, leaving the future of firewood operations at the site unresolved.
Public hearing on zoning regulation amendment 27-2026 to continue July 6, 2026 for applicant revisions.
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