By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@TheCitizenNews.com

Residents of the Davis Road area say they like their rural, dirt road neighborhood just like it is and they worry that a developer's plans may change all that.

Those plans are off the table for now. Developer Dan Stinchcomb's representative Randy Boyd asked the Fayette County Planning Commission to withdraw rezoning requests for two subdivisions on Davis Road, and the commission complied, voting 4-1 with Bill Beckwith opposed.

But since the rezoning requests were withdrawn instead of being denied or approved, they can be resubmitted at any time. A denial would have triggered an automatic six-month moratorium on resubmittal.

Residents want Davis to stay a dirt road, said Sandra Justice, who lives on the heavily wooded road with her husband, Ralph. “I like the fact you can have horses on your property if you want. I like the tranquility of it,” she said.

Two creeks cross Davis, said Ralph Justice, and if the subdivisions were built, the road probably would have to be paved and bridges built over the creeks. The area would become less rural and more suburban, and the construction would silt up the little creeks, he said.

“You would have extra traffic and probably more taxes,” he said.

The residents made their third trip to a Planning Commission meeting last week without being allowed to speak in opposition to the proposed subdivisions.

The first time, only three commission members were present and Stinchcomb asked that the matter be tabled. The second time, Stinchcomb had health problems and the rezoning requests were delayed again.

This time, there was no need to take public comment after the requests were withdrawn.

The request was for a 20-home subdivision on 54.3 acres and a 21-home subdivision on 103.5 acres.

Stinchcomb also withdrew a preliminary plat for Pine Ridge subdivision, which would have included 19 homes on 110.3 acres on Ebenezer Road.

A requirement, imposed by the fire marshal, that the developer build at least 1,900 feet of water line and tie into the county water system would have made the subdivision economically unfeasible, said Boyd.

In other action, commissioners approved a preliminary plat for Tomaro Estates, a 20-home subdivision on 77 acres on McDonough Road.

The group also approved a plat for Kellen's Meadow, five homes on 5.8 acres, also on McDonough Road.