STARKVILLE — Starkville Board of Aldermen on Tuesday night approved rezoning an old bus depot so the property can be sold and turned into a residence.
The property, located at 220 W. Gillespie St., was the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District bus depot for many years. It is currently zoned S-E, or special education, which means it may only be used for educational purposes.
Hagan Walker, CEO of Glo, is interested in buying the property and restoring an old building there for a residence, he told the board.
“I currently live in an old grocery store on Louisville Street,” Walker said. “I’m very partial to old buildings and trying to save them. We renovated the old Rex Theater in 2021, and this is one that I walk by often and I thought it might make a cool house.”
Walker said the property was “pretty much abandoned” by the district. There are still 29 buses parked there, though.
“It’s in pretty rough shape,” Walker said. “If it’s going to be sold to me or to any other buyer that isn’t an educational institution, the rezoning has to occur.”
Assistant City Planner Lyle MeCaskey told the aldermen the planning and zoning board had unanimously recommended the change.
The new zoning will be TN-E, or traditional neighborhood-new, MeCaskey said.
“(Walker) is in the process of buying the property and intends to turn it into a residence,” MeCaskey said. “The new zoning is the same as the surrounding property, ensuring any future use is compatible with the neighborhood.”
There is a need for more residential property in the area, MeCaskey said.
About 29 property owners within 160 feet were notified by mail of the request, and there were no objections, MeCaskey said.
“What other uses are allowed in this zoning?” asked Ward 5 Alderman Hamp Beatty. “Are there any possible commercial uses?”
MeCaskey said only residential uses were permitted.
“There are no commercial uses permitted,” MeCaskey said. “The closest you could get would be a home occupancy, but that has strict restrictions on it.”
The rezoning was approved unanimously.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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