Harrison County residents oppose subdivision on John Clark Road

Residents who live near a planned subdivision on John Clark Road appealed to the Harrison County Board of Supervisors, hoping to stop the development that backs up against the property zoned ‘A-1’ for agriculture.

After that discussion, the board moved to deny the appeal and move ahead with the subdivision.

News 25’s Janae Jordan spoke with residents who are not pleased with that outcome and tells us what comes next.

Supervisors had initially approved the subdivision, but neighbors, many of whom were at the meeting, objected to the plan and appealed the board’s decision.

Residents who were opposed said the agricultural property already houses farm animals including goats, pigs, and chickens.

Resident Angel Middleton said, “The subject property is right here in blue. They also want to develop this. This is another phase, but this is the phase they are working on.”

Middleton, a resident on John Clark Road, says she is outraged at the board voting 4-1 to move forward with the plans to build a subdivision consisting of 235 homes. “I’m a third-generation owner of this land. For my family, this land has our horses and barns. That’s the way of life we have and that’s how all of my neighbors are, too.”

Residents attended multiple board meetings and wrote letters voicing their concerns over the issue.

According to Middleton, Harrison County residents have spent $750,000 of tax money on the Harrison County Comprehensive Plan that goes until 2030, but the board doesn’t want to hear anything about that plan. “The whole area came to meetings and said what they wanted to see our neighborhood look like, but then they toss it in the garbage can because they want to develop.”

Resident Michael Necaise is also not in favor of the plan and was told he does not have any standing when it comes to the plan because he lives one mile away from the project. Necaise says that the project will ultimately affect him. “When it’s approved then that will allow them to use that as a precedent to come and put one right next to our home. They say ‘well if there is one a mile away and that’s part of the neighborhood. So, you have to accept this subdivision in your neighborhood.’”

“We were all told when zoning was enacted that it was going to protect our property rights and it was going to protect our neighborhood and that is just the opposite of what it has become.”

According to Necaise, it floods severely and the board hasn’t taken that into account. “These new subdivisions are flooding and we can’t seem to get relief from that.”

The homes will back up to many houses that have livestock and Middleton says that will only cause complaints. “All these residents, if they do build it, and if they get their way, are going to be fussing about the roosters and the guineas and the smell of the pigs and the smell of the livestock, but we were here first.”

Middleton says the next step to fight it is through the courts.