Zoning issues

[J Beyer]

Here's another question that I'm sure that many of you have faced when you started a milling/logging business.

What work was involved in changing the zoning of your land to business/agricultural usage if not already zoned for a sawmill business?

Thanks again.

JB
"The other Jeff B."

[Tom]

My land was already zoned Agricultural and I've qualified for Florida's "Greenbelt" tax assessment.  The county folks have made sure that every little base is covered though.  Sawmills can't be established on Agricultural property without Zoning variances.  I am a portable sawmilling service and am tagged for tax purposes by the DOT because I got a title and tag for my sawmill.   I can cut anywhere and am treated like a lawn service or Tree removal company.

If I set up to saw at home and sell the wood I cut, then I would have to make some zoning changes because the county would want their commercial property taxes, etc.

[Fla._Deadheader]

DonTcha mean "Graft"

[Lenny]

I had to get A special excaption varience on my property to run the mill.conditions are I have to keep A tag on the mill And No heavy trucks on sundays. I am portable and the mill has only cut maybe A few thousand feet on my property the mill has been on the road except for a couple days for maintence.between jobs.
With the varience I can run 24/7 as I am out of sight and hearing distance of all the neibors.

[woodmills1]

Don't even get me started here.  for 7 years I operated under a home occupation special exception approval from the zoning board on my previous 1.5 acre lot.  before moving to the new farm I asked what permits would be needed and was told none due to continued acricultural use.  So I set up on the farm and operated for 1.5 years.  When a new zoning administrator was hired I spoke with him and again was advised that I was OK.  Well my neighbor, an ex town official requested a Zoning opinion as to weather I needed site plan approval, and the administrator produced an oficial opinion that I didn't.  The neighbor appealed that decision to the Zoning Board, and they decieded that I must file a site plan.  Now this is a year and a half after I started to operate.  Lated today I will be meeting with my lawyer to finalize my lawsuit against the town.  Nice christmas present it is to pay thousands of dollars to get what I already had.

[J Beyer]

Woodmills 1:

Sounds like you have a neighbor that is not the nicest to have a mill around.  The friends that I have would not care if I ran a mill if they were my neighbors as long as the dust would not get onto their cars.  Heck, if they were my neighbors, they also would not care if I went hunting off my back porch.

I also think that some poeple have to have their nose into everything.  It is a good point to check into the zoning conditions and get the opinion(s) of the person(s) that you talk to regarding zoning regs in writing.

JB

[Corley5]

To set up a mill in my county you have to have special permits and be zoned commercial/industrial unless...  I can set one up on the farm but it can only be used to process trees cut from the farm or logs bought to be sawed and used on the farm.  Nothing can be sold commercially etc.  It really doesn't matter to me I'll do what I want.

[Frank_Pender]

Corley 5, Amen.  I have several partners, Winchester. Colt, Smith, Wesson and Remington, jsut to name a few that help me in such legal matters.   Never seems to be much opposition to what happens around the mill as to who is coming and going.  Hardly a month goes by without a log truck entering loaded and leaving empty.  I even have them coming in empty and leaving empty 5 or 6 times a weeks to wash off 500 to 1000 lbs of biodegradeable materials.

[Lenny]

I too have partners,This german fella is my #1 choice.8mm Mauser. He has a loud report.
Head of the planning board also happens to be my neibor
He`s one of those people that has to stick his nose into everythang.
He stalled me 1 year on building my house on 50 acres.He`s also on the wattershed assn. and many other groops like that.
got a brook that goes through my property,That was his issue with the house and the mill.the house is 800 ft from the brook and where the mill is set up (when home) is 900ft.
He comes around and counts stumps.cks out the lumber piles,ect. Mr Mauser spoke to him once.About 10 ft. over his head into A oak tree, sent him packing.He doesn`t come around when I`m home any more. Forced me to post my land.Now I call the law on him, He always seems to get off as he is also the police commishener.
He also tryed to shut down my shooting range,rifle,pistol and skeet.Got A good backstop and is 1900 ft from any road or dewelling other than mine.He lost. I think he just needed new members in the fish and game club, He is also presedent of that.Members have declined bigtime sence he took that over.
I did get the special exception varrience on my property to run the mill,planer. chipper,kilms, and any and all support equipment that I may need. Figured I would go all the way the first time before he got the chance to sneek in some more custom taylered ordences,Like he did in my area.We were zoned resedental,we needed 2 ac for A house lot. He pushed through aggerculturel zoning and now we need 10 ac. for A house lot.Thats fine with me.my other neibor isn`t so happy, he has A 6ac. lot next to me, And Its gonna be a fight for his son to build A house there.
I also had to file a site plan to operate A mill on my property.And boy did I give him one.Looks like A full grown lumber operation on paper Once I got by him it as a breeze.Made him step down from  his throne for conflict of intrest.It all went down without him
Turns out We can run 24/7.The only concern was trucks,that turned out ok, no heavey trucks on sundays.
If anyone is intrested in this guy u can have him, I`ll even pay shipping

[J Beyer]

Lenny,

How about shipping him to China to make tractors?  They would probably be good ones since he is so nosey on everything.  Must be fun having him around Christmas time.

JB

[Tom]

A little trick used around here for city zoning that is being applied to rural areas is sharing property.  You have to be mighty good neighbors to make it work but it works.  What you do is sell your neighbor 4 acres so that he has 10 to build his house.  When he gets the house completed,  he sells you 4 acres back.  You just have to make sure that he gets all his stuff built the way he wants it the first time so there is no problem with additions later.  

[Sawyerfortyish]

You know my grandfather told me of  a cure for nosey neibors now let me see what did he call it oh yea  Jewish Lightning   no more neibors sticking there nose where it don't belong  

[Lenny]

About the time I got the excrptions on my land. The people across the street were starting to build 2 houses on 160ac.
A friend of mine was doing the sitework And parked the equipment off to the side of my drivway.My nozey neibor was all excited to see A TD25 dozer with a ripper,A cat 245 escavator on my land. He did have b....s enough to call me to see what was up and to inform me that
i have not filed for any permits.
Told him when the loggers were done clearcutting.we were going to stump and level up my 50ac.to make room for all that lumber. I thought he was going to have A heart attack
All the leg work he did to stop me just to find out the equipment went across the street where the neibors did have all the permits they needed

[Fla._Deadheader]

WHY YOU DIRTY @*&%I^%&@^&%$ !!!!!   I LIKE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 GOOD ON'YA, MATE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WV_hillbilly]

  Good for you Lenny. People like that must have a pretty boring life if all they do is worry what someone else is doing on their own property. I myself dont't have enough hours in a day to check on what everyone else is doing.  

 

Hillbilly

[C_Miller]

We had a short discussion about zoning, went something like this:

New Building Inspector:  what do you do about zoning?
Old Town Board Member: You bring it up again I'll blow your f**
                                      head off.