STARKVILLE — At least one Starkville alderman wants to limit the number of high-interest loan businesses in the city.
But the proposal was put on hold Tuesday night.
Vice Mayor Sandra Sistrunk pulled her proposal for an ordinance limiting the locations of title loan and payday loan businesses to conduct more research.
According to the board agenda e-packet, Sistrunk believes the clustering of title loan businesses in high-traffic areas creates a negative impression of the city.
The alderman looked at the issue last year, issuing a moratorium on payday loan businesses, car title loan businesses and check-cashing businesses operating in Starkville. The majority of the more than 20 such businesses were clustered along Highway 12, the city’s busiest thoroughfare.
Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas also was supposed to present a draft of an ordinance with standards for accessory structures — sheds or manufactured storage buildings. Dumas said during the Aug. 2 board meeting that too many accessory structures were being used as primary locations for businesses along major corridors.
Following the Aug. 2 meeting, City Planner Ben Griffith was authorized to develop new requirements. The board was set to discuss a date for a public hearing Tuesday, but Dumas pulled the proposal also to conduct more research.
The board also voted 5-2 to approve developer Michael Kraker’s request for a zoning change on East Garrard Road from residential to planned unit development. Kraker plans to build a pocket subdivision on a 5.01-acre lot where Pilkington Trailer Park once stood.
The board ruled there was sufficient change in the area — a criterion for a change in zone — to approve Kraker’s request.
However, the request has several variances from PUD regulations, including the width of the street and sidewalks in the subdivision and the density of the 5.01-acre lot.
Kraker’s request will be heard by the Starkville Board of Adjustments and Appeals, which will rule on the specs of the plan. If the Board of Adjustments and Appeals rules unfavorably, Kraker can appeal to the Board of Aldermen.
The Board of Adjustments and Appeals meets on an “as-needed” basis on the last Wednesday of the month.
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