THOMASVILLE — A Thomas County resident who wants to build a house on a tract off Hunt Road went before Thomas County commissioners about a building permit. 

Rodney Bennett purchased the 71.42 acres — in an agricultural land-use district — as a homesite.

A memo from County Manager Mike Stephenson to commissioners said Hunt wants to use two acres as a homesite and put remaining acreage in a conservation-.

The problem is the land has no road frontage. Thomas County’s land-use ordinance requires property to have road frontage on a publicly-owned or maintained right-of-way.

“Thomas County has consistently enforced this provision since 1996,” Stephenson’s memo stated. “Approval of building permits on new easements will substantially weaken the subdivision regulations by allowing development that does not meet current right of way standards.”

“What if the easement was donated as a public road?” asked Commissioner Wiley Grady.

County Attorney Bruce Warren told commissioners no one has ever been allowed to build without road frontage. 

“The ordinance is clear there,” he said.

Warren suggested looking at the situation to determine if there is justification to grant Bennett’s request.

A public hearing would be required if the land-use ordinance is changed, Warren said. 

“This definitely does not fit our definition of a variance,” he said.

Commission Chairman Ken Hickey asked Benton if he could “sit tight and wait” while county officials look into the situation.

Bennett responded that he would wait for a decision.

In other business, commissioners:

• Approved the purchase of 2017 Dodge ambulance from Custom Truck & Body Works for $145,928.

• OK’d selling copper, other metals and old air-conditioning units to the scrap yard offering the highest bid.

• Approved the purchase of 7,500 gallons of unleaded fuel for $1.87 a gallon from Petroleum Products.