The newly re-formed board of zoning appeals in Bell Buckle already has issues waiting for its first meeting. The new BZA was approved by the board of mayor and alderman at the Tuesday night town meeting, with Mayor Dennis Webb, Planning Commission Chairman Rodney Simmons and David Robinson on the board.

A proposed bed & breakfast will be one of the first applicants before the BZA.

"Ron and Jan Rowlette want to turn their home into a bed & breakfast," said Webb. "They plan to reside on this property. They've got to go through the BZA."

Simmons said exemptions were almost always required for b&b's because of residential zoning.

Webb said there were other issues involved with the project.

"They share a common driveway. I think the neighbor has voiced a concern."

The home is located on 720 Liberty Pike, but there is a second driveway off Abernathy Street, said Webb. He told the commission the Rowlettes would like to bring guests to the front of the house -- along the shared driveway -- for check-in because it is more attractive. They would then have the guests pull around to the side of the house to the designated parking area.

"I would suggest, just as a courtesy to the neighbors, that even though that is the more attractive part of the house, go ahead and have them park on the side," said Ann Rooney, a member of the commission. She suggested the owners plan a hedge-lined path or other attractive walkway from the parking area to the front of the house.

Rooney also brought up a safety factor, saying that guests unfamiliar with the shared drive might have to back onto the highway, and there are deep ditches and small children in the area.

Both she and Webb stressed how much they like the idea of a new b&b coming to Bell Buckle.

"I think we need more bed & breakfasts in town, with all the festivals," said Webb. "But I know we may have a person whose going to be resistant and I want to make sure we dot all the i's."

After consulting with community planners Bo Logan and Kristin Costanza, the commission felt the parking area would not have to be screened, since it is only visible to the street, a church parking lot and Webb school grounds, and the neighbor already has a privacy fence.

Property owner Chris Smith will also be going to the BZA. Smith owns two lots. One is vacant, and the other has a small house on it. He approached the commission to ask if he would be able to build a house on either lot.

"I just need some clarification," he said, adding that the property was also for sale.

After a lengthy discussion and reviewing the minutes from earlier meetings, in which Smith's original site plans were approved, the commission decided to wait until MTAS could review the situation.

Since the original site plans called for a house and a garage, and only a small house was built, said Rooney, she didn't think he would be able to build another residence on the occupied lot.

The unoccupied lot was a possibility, said Webb, but Smith would have to go to the BZA for an exemption because the lot's width would not allow room for the required setbacks.

In other planning commission business, Sandy Rider was given a tentative recommendation for her request for a water tap, laden with stipulations. Rider is subdividing her lot, selling the home in the front of the lot and keeping property in the back to build a new home.

"My husband is handicapped and he can't use the stairs anymore," she said. She has made arrangements to purchase a 50-foot strip of land, about a half-acre, from her neighbor for an easement to the new house for the driveway and water and sewer lines. However, that purchase is contingent on the sale of her existing home.

Once a water tap has been approved, said Webb, the property owner has only 30 days to pay it or the approval is rescinded and she has to go through the whole process again. The commission moved to recommend approval for the Rider water tap, but with a request attached asking the board of mayor and alderman to defer taking action on it for 120 days, giving Rider time to sell the property.

A water tap was also recommended for David Cataldo's land on Higgins Road in Wartrace, at the end of the Bell Buckle line, but again, the recommendation had stipulations.

"You could have some problems with volume out there," said Simmons. "The pressure is not the problem, volume is. If you've got a 2-inch line and nine houses on it ..."

Webb said the city was not compelled to upgrade water lines outside of city limits and had, in fact, decided not to extend its lines any further in an effort to limit subdivisions. He moved the commission give Cataldo's request tentative recommendation for approval, based on the results of an engineering report.

Eric Messick was given permission to create a driveway to the house being built at 391 Peacock St. The driveway, if built from Peacock, would be approximately 750 feet long, said Mike Bell, who currently owns the property. By using a shorter drive from School Street, he said he could shorten that to 250 feet. The only issue was that the driveway would be close to the convenience center entrance.

The commission told Messick there didn't seem to be a problem with the School Street driveway as long as Bedford County had no objections.