By Billy Davis

Panola County’s land commission is recommending that county supervisors turn down an application to reclassify property east of Batesville for a salvage yard.

The land commission voted 3-0 Monday night to deny a permit application for Express Auto Sales, located just east of the Batesville city limits along Highway 6.

Express owner Faheem Bagla told commissioners he plans to purchase the property south of Highway 6 and use the highway frontage for a car lot. It was his second plan — using the rear portion of the property for a salvage lot — that created concerns among commissioners and others.

Bagla said he operates two salvage yards in Georgia, where he strips the automobiles and sells the parts on the Internet. The Batesville site would be four to five acres, he said.

The salvage yard would be a “detriment to the corridor,” Sonny Simmons, Panola Partnership’s CEO, told commissioners during a public hearing.

Simmons explained that the highway corridor from Batesville to Oxford should be protected to attract economic development.

“The car lot would be OK if it had good lighting and nice landscaping,” Simmons said. “But even if it’s screened, the salvage yard would not be an asset to the county.”

Residential neighbors also spoke against the plan during the public hearing, and the City of Batesville submitted a lengthy letter voicing numerous objections.

Commissioners also noted that the reclassification would change the zoning from agricultural to industrial, allowing Bagla to sell the property as industrial.

“If it’s reclassified as industrial, we don’t have any control any more,” noted commissioner Danny Jones.
Jones also noted that the Batesville-to-Oxford corridor has been eyed by officials in both cities in the past as an important economic development corridor.

Commissioner Sledge Taylor made a motion to turn down the reclassification and was seconded by Jones. Danny Walker provided the second vote while Robert Carter and Verna Hunter did not vote.

The 10-member land commission meeting was set to start at 6 p.m. Monday but was postponed until 6:40, when a fifth member arrived and created a quorum.