No local fire fighting equipment for four story buildings

By Tara DeRock Mahoney
Senior Staff Writer

    Members of the Morgan County Planning Commission recommended denial of a plan for a four-story Holiday Inn Express to be built in Madison.
    Sidhvi Hotels, LLC, had requested a variance from the City of Madison to build a hotel with a maximum height of more than 35 feet. But opposition from another Madison hotelier, G.B. Sharma, helped the planning commission come to a decision, as did concerns about the fire safety of the building.
    Madison fire safety equipment is only capable of rescuing persons from a height of 35 feet or less.
    And while the purchase of a hook-and-ladder type truck might be in the city’s future, the city will also need a new fire station to house such a vehicle, and that structure is not imminent.
    The planning commission approved a request for the placement of a double-wide manufactured road to be placed on property at 1569 Price Mill Road.
    The home is a replacement for another home on the property that burned.
    A variance was needed because the replacement home in question is older than permitted by code, but exceptions have been made by the county before in hardship circumstances such as fire.
    Finally, the planning commission recommended approval of a new zoning district for the City of Madison, called the C-5 or heavy commercial district. The Madison city council is expected to discuss and vote on the addition to the city’s zoning maps at its first regular meeting in June.