Woman Says She's Forced From Home she owns because of a zoning technicality -
A Walnut Grove woman says she wants to be able to live in the home she owns and is paying for. City leaders say because of a zoning technicality, she can’t.
Mamie Singleton said her children grew up her home, but she can’t live there because of a zoning technicality. In the meantime, she has to rent an apartment and is struggling to make rent payments along with her mortgage.“There are a lot of sentimental things in this place. It’s just home,” Singleton said.The 70-year-old told Channel 2’s Amy Napier Viteri she followed the advice of a Realtor about 6 years ago and zoned her residential home commercial, in order to boost its potential sale value."And I was living here at that time and I was here for several years before I moved out. But I didn’t abandon it,” Singleton said.She decided not to sell, but when she tried to move back in, the city told her she couldn't.Since then, she’s tried, unsuccessfully, to zone the house back to residential.She takes care of her sick husband and said her cleaning job barely covers the mortgage, taxes and insurance on the home as well as rent for the apartment she lives in.Her daughter, Elaine Greene, said city leaders made it clear at the last zoning appeal they don’t want Singleton in the home.“She said they felt it was not in the best interest of the community that she move back here,” Greene said.Walnut Grove Mayor Don Cannon said, “We take pride in, I think, seeing our ordinances enforced. We don’t try to beat up on anybody.”Cannon told Napier Viteri that Singleton missed two hearings in her last rezoning attempt.“It is zoned commercial and it is in a commercial area. According to our comprehensive plan it is in a commercial district within the city,” Cannon said.Cannon said it is possible to change the zoning, but Singleton will have to wait until October to reapply.“I have to struggle every day, wonder how I’m going to get it all together, you know? But I’m doing the best I can do,” Singleton said.Cannon said there is now precedent for changing a property from commercial to residential.Singleton told Napier Viteri she feels the house is in a residential district since it faces on to a neighborhood street.Singleton said she plans to reapply to change the zoning in the fall.
Read more -
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/28650642/detail.html?taf=atl
A Walnut Grove woman says she wants to be able to live in the home she owns and is paying for. City leaders say because of a zoning technicality, she can’t.
Mamie Singleton said her children grew up her home, but she can’t live there because of a zoning technicality. In the meantime, she has to rent an apartment and is struggling to make rent payments along with her mortgage.“There are a lot of sentimental things in this place. It’s just home,” Singleton said.The 70-year-old told Channel 2’s Amy Napier Viteri she followed the advice of a Realtor about 6 years ago and zoned her residential home commercial, in order to boost its potential sale value."And I was living here at that time and I was here for several years before I moved out. But I didn’t abandon it,” Singleton said.She decided not to sell, but when she tried to move back in, the city told her she couldn't.Since then, she’s tried, unsuccessfully, to zone the house back to residential.She takes care of her sick husband and said her cleaning job barely covers the mortgage, taxes and insurance on the home as well as rent for the apartment she lives in.Her daughter, Elaine Greene, said city leaders made it clear at the last zoning appeal they don’t want Singleton in the home.“She said they felt it was not in the best interest of the community that she move back here,” Greene said.Walnut Grove Mayor Don Cannon said, “We take pride in, I think, seeing our ordinances enforced. We don’t try to beat up on anybody.”Cannon told Napier Viteri that Singleton missed two hearings in her last rezoning attempt.“It is zoned commercial and it is in a commercial area. According to our comprehensive plan it is in a commercial district within the city,” Cannon said.Cannon said it is possible to change the zoning, but Singleton will have to wait until October to reapply.“I have to struggle every day, wonder how I’m going to get it all together, you know? But I’m doing the best I can do,” Singleton said.Cannon said there is now precedent for changing a property from commercial to residential.Singleton told Napier Viteri she feels the house is in a residential district since it faces on to a neighborhood street.Singleton said she plans to reapply to change the zoning in the fall.
Read more -
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/28650642/detail.html?taf=atl
No comments:
Post a Comment