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On Tuesday, the LaGrange City Council approved a rezoning request that divided the council. 

The request was made to rezone approximately one acre of property located in the 200 block of Moody Bridge Road from Traditional Neighborhood Residential (TN-R) to Commercial Mixed Use (CR-MX). The applicant, local attorney Luther Jones, requested the change to create a law office and possibly a furniture store at the location.

The rezoning request was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission but during the council’s work session, Councilwoman Darby Pippin expressed concerns. 

Pippin proposed the property be rezoned to Traditional Neighborhood Mixed Use (TN-MX) rather than CR-MX because it would allow the law office/furniture store that the applicant said he wanted, but would limit other uses, particularly title pawn locations.

“TN-MX does not allow, and I think in a neighborhood that is lower income, that a title pawn is not a desirable thing to have, so we can allow the applicant to proceed as he wishes, which he says is his intent, under a little bit more restrictive classification, then that’s why I think we should do TN-MX,” Pippin said.

City Planner Mark Kostial said he reached out to the applicant, who reiterated his intent to do the law office/furniture store, but opposed the change to TN-MX.

“When I spoke with the applicant, obviously, he would prefer CR-MX because there are additional permitted uses within that zoning district,” Kostial said. “He has not signed up a furniture store at this point, so from a marketability standpoint, that’s his preference.”

Ultimately, the council voted to approve the request, with council members Nathan Gaskin, Tom Gore and Mark Mitchell in favor, and council members Pippin, Quay Boddie and Leon Childs in opposition. Mayor Jim Arrington broke the tie, 4-3, siding in favor of the applicant.

The vote was the first tie Arrington has had to break since he took office as mayor.