By order of the court, a case that dates back nearly a year is headed back to the county commission for a re-do.
According to Presiding Commissioner Carolyn Loraine, in September 2007 there was a recording glitch with the county’s equipment when the commission met and denied a B-3 rezoning request filed by Gary Prewitt of Shady Gators. The property is currently zoned for single family residential use. It sits next to Shady Gators.
Prewitt requested a change to B-3 to allow for high-traffic use.
The request had already been denied by the Camden County Planning and Zoning Commission when the application landed on the county commission’s agenda for final action.
While the decision of the county commission appeased nearby residents who didn’t want another entertainment venue in their neighborhood, Prewitt  took the case to Camden County Circuit Court, seeking to have the decision of the planning and county commission overturned.
Now the court says the county commission needs to hold another hearing in order to record the proceedings. 
Planning Director Chris Hall said the equipment used to record the hearing failed and there was no audio transcript of the hearing. In order to comply with the request of the court, Hall said the Camden County Commission will hear the case at the August planning and zoning meeting.
Prewitt’s rezoning request ignited a firestorm of opposition. Residents who mounted a strong campaign against the zoning change said they didn’t want the county commission to put the safety and welfare of the neighborhood over the financial gains of a few.
Prewitt says the property isn’t suitable for single family residential because of its location.
During the debate, the issue bounced from Camden County to the village of Sunrise Beach across the lake, where a voluntary annexation case for the same parcel was denied.
The voluntary annexation drew widespread attention because it was the first attempt in recent memory to annex across the water.
Sunrise Beach is on the west side of the lake. The property in question is across the lake at the far end of the Horseshoe Bend peninsula.
By water, the land sits at the point where 7-Mile Cove meets the main channel of Lake of the Ozarks.
Prewitt was interested in taking advantage of the location for a lakefront tiki bar next door to Shady Gators and near the Horny Toad Entertainment Complex, which is also located in 7-Mile Cove.
Contact this reporter at joycem@lakesunleader.com