By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

A development firm is reevaluating its plans for a subdivision on 178 acres on Ga. Highway 92 south this week in the wake of County Commission denial of the company's rezoning request to allow 49 homes.

Citing environmental concerns, dissatisfaction with the proposed subdivision layout and concerns over density, commissioners last week unanimously rejected the request from TCG Holding LLC.

The company, on behalf of property owner Addie Oakley, asked the board to change the zoning of the property from A-R, an agricultural category requiring minimum home lots of five acres, to R-80, a subdivision category allowing lots as small as three acres.

A company spokesman pointed out that the agricultural zoning allows homes as small as 1,200 square feet, whereas R-80 requires at least 2,500 square feet.

Homes would sell for $300,000 in the proposed subdivision, he said, adding that curb and gutter, required under R-80 but not under A-R, also would make the subdivision more desirable.

Two property owners nearby also spoke in favor of the rezoning.

But most of the homes in the surrounding area are on estate sized lots much larger than three acres, said Commissioner Linda Wells, adding that the property backs up to the Flint River and some of the homes would be too close to the river for environmental comfort.

“I don't see any reason why we should take this and make this basically the standard for that area out there,” she said.

Denial of the petition puts property owner Addie Oakley in a bind, said her son, James. In her 80s, the owner has decided, “It's time to let the farm go,” he said, adding that it's not practical to hand the land down to heirs, because then it would have to be chopped up into smaller parcels.

The owners have to wait six months before petitioning for another zoning change, but the developers can, if they choose, build a subdivision with five-acre lots, putting about 32 homes on the land.

In other zoning business last week, commissioners approved a set of revisions to the county land use plan and map written by the planning staff after months of research and examined during several months of Planning Commission workshops and hearings.

Among substantive changes commissioners agreed to, the land use plan now contemplates office/institutional uses for property along the south side of Ga. Highway 54, just east of Fayetteville. The previous plan called for light industrial growth there.

Property farther back from the road will be listed for residential uses in the new plan, instead of industrial as before.

Areas formerly listed as industrial near Brooks and Tyrone also will now be listed as low-density agricultural. The areas around those properties haven't gone in the industrial direction that county officials thought they would when the plan was written years ago, said planning director Chris Venice.

In other business,the commission approved more than $1 million in water system expenditures.

The group approved a bid of $501,685 from United Metering to install new water meters that can be read by radio. A $333,954 bid to increase the pumping power of the Crosstown Water Plant also was approved, along with $184,994 to complete phase six of the county's loop water line.

The group approved $53,425 to fence the Horseman's Run water tank site. Plans are also to place a sign at the site to alert future homeowners that a tank is to be built there.