Outburst Doesn't Throw Planning Commission Off Track

A mundane Planning Commission session took a bizarre turn Tuesday — and then returned to the straight and narrow.

The commission met to discuss the property at 307 Murray Drive (pictured), just as it had during its last meeting on July 26. The property was zoned as commercial, and has been for many years.

However, it has been occupied by private residents for some time and the city was seeking to rezone it to reflect this fact. The meeting last month was adjourned without a vote when the property owners did not appear.

This month the owners — Chandler Real Estate — did appear and were amenable to the zoning change.

However, a neighboring property owner, Paul Tomlinson, was not. Tomlinson, expressed concern about the safety of young children in the area.

Commission member Elizabeth Wiygul asked Tomlinson why he did not build a fence if he had such worries, especially since one of the children was his grandson. Tomlinson did not answer the question but instead lashed out at another commission member, Raymond Chandler, saying, “You’re the biggest jerk I’ve ever met.”

Chandler did not respond. But he did recuse himself from the subsequent vote because he is related to the owners of the property in question.

Tomlinson departed before a vote was taken.

The commission voted unanimously to approve the re-zoning from commercial to residential.

After the vote, Chandler said the words from Tomlinson were a continuation of a dispute between the two men that had begun a year earlier over day-laborers who were doing yard work for him.

Building Director Peter Nomikos said the zoning discrepancy was discovered when the residents of the home attempted to get a recycling bin from the city.

The matter will be put before City Council in September.