Wednesday, September 13, 2000

By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

In a meeting where almost every item drew public comment, Fayette County's Planning Commission last week voted to recommend approval of two new subdivisions, but denied requests for commercial and office zoning.
And although its request was approved, Integrated Science and Engineering got less than it wanted for 42.3 acres on New Hope Road. Commissioners followed a staff recommendation and approved R-72 zoning, which requires minimum two-acre lots, instead of the requested R-50 category, which allows one-acre lots.
If the County Commission goes along with the planning panel's recommendation, the resulting subdivision will have about 20 lots instead of the 31 requested. As currently zoned (agricultural-residential), it could have only about seven or eight homes on five-acre lots.
Residents with property adjoining the proposed subdivision on all four sides expressed opposition to the R-50 request. Charley Reagan, who said he has no plans to ever sell his ten acres on the west side of the ISE property, argued for leaving the zoning at A-R.
But Joel Lindsey, who owns land to the south, said the two-acre lots allowed under R-72 "would be more suitable to what I think is going to develop in the future."
Commissioner Al Gilbert argued for granting the R-50 request, and voted against the motion to approve R-72. "New Hope Road has been one-acre zoning all the way down," he said. "In fairness, this area is one-acre." But commissioner Fred Bowen said the property is surrounded by larger tracts, even though there are one-acre subdivisions nearby. "I think the staff's R-72... is a very fair compromise," he said. "The neighbors feel comfortable that is something they could live with."
His motion passed 3-1.
Starr's Mill LLC's request for community commercial zoning on 80 acres at Ga. Highway 74 and Redwine Road drew a unanimous "no" vote from the Planning Commission. (See related story)
Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of Curtis Burton's request for R-45, which allows one-acre lots, for a 36-lot subdivision on 55 acres on Ga. Highway 279, angering a group of about 20 neighbors who showed up to argue against it. "It's really overpopulated as it is right now," said Don Mabry, who lives in nearby Lafayette Estates. "Traffic is really terrible there."
Velma Kelley of the nearby Dix-Leeon subdivision, said she was concerned that homes in the proposed subdivision be comparable to those in existing neighborhoods.
Commissioners said a staff-recommended condition that the homes be at least 2,000 square feet would assure that. The commission's recommendation also includes a condition that the developer take special care with storm water runoff.
The group unanimously voted to deny a request to remove a 1.9-acre building lot from Fayette Villa Estates, on Ga. Highway 54 at Brittany Way, and change its zoning to O-I (office-institutional). The county has special rules in place that allow office zoning for properties fronting Hwy. 54, but commissioners said they have no intention of applying those rules to land that's already part of a platted subdivision.
"I feel very sorry for people who have property on 54," said commissioner Bill Beckwith, "but it's not fair to people who have property in a subdivision that is platted."
Commissioners unanimously approved a request for R-45 zoning for a one-acre tract on Hewell Road. Owners W. R. Clifton and D. B. Scroggins Jr. said they want to put a single home on the land.
All of the rezoning requests will be heard by the County Commission in its meeting Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex.

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