The Brown County Area Plan Commission gave a positive recommendation Oct. 25 to a plan to rezone the property at Jefferson and Main streets, currently occupied by Brozinni Pizzeria.

The next vote will come from the Nashville Town Council.

Chris Wright, speaking on behalf of Brozinni owner Ryan Seward, told the commission that Seward wants to enlarge the building to increase kitchen storage space and make bathrooms complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

However, the property is zoned restricted buffer (RB), and only permitted in that location because the building was a restaurant when the zoning was created. If the building is substantially altered, it will lose the grandfathered exception and could no longer be a restaurant, according to the Town of Nashville’s zoning code.

In order to both alter the building and for it to remain a restaurant, Seward has sought to have the property rezoned to local business (B1)

Though several local residents spoke in opposition to the rezoning, each said they would be in favor of finding an alternative, whereby Seward could alter the building without changing the zoning.

However, APC Attorney Dave Schilling said that the only option in Brown County is to rezone the property.

If Nashville had its own plan commission, that plan commission’s board of zoning appeals could provide a zoning variance, Schilling said. However, the county and town have a combined area plan commission, and the board of zoning appeals for an the APC cannot grant a zoning variance, he said.

The only dissenting vote against the recommendation was Jane Gore, who represents the town council on the APC.

Gore said she was sympathetic with Seward, but she’s concerned that taking a property out of restricted buffer could create a precedent that would undermine the purpose of the original zoning — to create a buffer between the business district and residential areas in town.