WOODLAND – Southern Bank has the green light to build a new structure.

The Woodland Board of Commissioners voted in February to rezone a portion of Main Street which will allow the town’s only bank to construct a new structure.

&uot;We’ve approved the zoning that will allow Southern Bank to build a free-standing building,&uot; Mayor Margaret Burgwyn said. &uot;We’re excited to have the business getting more involved in the community.&uot;

According to Woodland Zoning Administrator Don Ryan, there are two parcels that were rezoned by the Board after input from the Planning Board and Board of Adjustments.

&uot;In order for Southern Bank to put a business there, it had to be rezoned from R-15 to CH,&uot; Ryan said.

R-15 is a residential designation while CH means Commercial Highway.

Ryan said the request had to be made and then the town went through the rezoning process, including advertising, holding a planning board meeting and having a public hearing.

The two parcels in question were owned by two different entities. One of the parcels is currently a private residence while the other is a vacant lot owned by the town of Woodland.

Southern Bank came to Woodland less than a year ago, according to Ryan, and the town is pleased that their new corporate citizen is already making an investment in the town.

&uot;It’s going to help Woodland and it will give a new face to the bank,&uot; Ryan said.

The new building will be the first business structure built in Woodland in nearly 50 years that was not a convenience store. The most recent addition to the town is the Red Apple Market which is more than 20 years old.

Ryan said there were a host of structures inside the town limits that have remodeled and had new businesses move in, but the convenience store was the only structures built from the ground up since the current bank building was constructed as the Farmers Bank of Woodland.

&uot;We have a number of projects that are underway in the town,&uot; Ryan said. &uot;We are pleased to have people coming into town and investing to add business to Woodland.&uot;