An anticipated vote about a new funeral home in downtown Gray never happened at last week’s city council meeting, but the members voted unanimously to allow a tractor-trailer repair shop to open across the street from the Jones County courthouse.

The garage was approved despite ongoing plans by the Downtown Development Authority and Jones County PLAN to develop the area into a shopping/office development surrounding an intercity park.

The first planning and zoning issue on the agenda was the rezoning of the property owned by Joyce Hadden Park.

Al Bridges spoke to the council before asking that the petition to rezone the property that was formerly the home of Hadden’s Tea Room be withdrawn. Bridges had proposed using the property for a funeral home, and for that to happen a portion of it needed to be rezoned from R-1 residential to C-2 commercial.

The petitioner began by recognizing the concerns of the residents living near the property.

“I cannot justify paying for the property and not being able to use it as a mortuary. I feel bad because this is Mrs. Park’s third trip to the city council to be able to sell this property,” he said.

Bridges said the taxes on the property are $8,000 a year. He said the council’s decision to play it safe is keeping economic development from happening in Gray.

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