Cristy McMahon Campbell will be allowed to open and operate a daycare for up to 20 children under age 5 in the Washington area as long as she meets all of the stipulations of the conditional use permit granted to her on Tuesday night by the Franklin County Planning and Zoning Commission.
Campbell first appeared before the board in April to request the facility, located at 298 McMahon Automotive Drive just off of Pottery Road near the city of Washington. The property is about an acre in size and is in a suburban development zoning district.
Campbell did not speak to the planners on Tuesday night during the group’s May gathering.
There were few questions raised during the 15-minute meeting as commission members followed the unanimous recommendation of their review board.
However, there were some additional conditions added to the permit that Campbell must follow in order to operate the business. She must block off the southern entrance of the property from use to Pottery Road with concrete barriers or something similar and she will need to provide sufficient lighting that covers any entrance, walkway and parking area.
Both of those conditions were added for safety reasons.
As defined, a CUP is required for certain land uses which may need special conditions to ensure compatibility with the surrounding area. One is needed in this instance because the property is zoned suburban development and “preschool, daycare, special or other private school” requires the permit.
In April, Campbell said the daycare will be operated on her father’s property on McMahon Automotive Drive. She said at that time she was in the process of getting licensed by the state.
She said she will fence in the area that would be used to run the business. Her hours of operation will be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Members of the Washington Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the conditional use permit request this week because the site is within 1.5 miles of the city limits. The board did not recommend any other conditions or changes to the request.
New Chairman
In the only other business conducted Tuesday night, board members selected Bill Evans to take over the chairman’s spot on the commission.
The move was necessary because longtime chairman and county planner Jim Grutsch resigned from the board for “personal reasons.”
Evans, who was the vice chairman, will serve as chairman at least until September, the month when officers annually are elected. Evans chaired Tuesday’s meeting because of Grutsch’s absence. He was the only individual nominated for chairman.
With Evans’ appointment, the vice chairman’s seat then also had to be filled. Jay Schultehenrich unanimously was approved.
In his resignation, Grutsch said he had served on the commission for 11 years and as chairman since 2006.
