Wednesday, April 11, 2001
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Wednesday, April 11, 2001 |
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Subdivision recommended despite residents' protests By DAVE
HAMRICK
For the second time in a year, residents of Old Senoia and Harp roads Thursday left a Fayette County Planning Commission meeting unhappy. Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend approval of developer Mukut Gupta's rezoning request to allow 18 homes on 40.5 acres on Old Senoia, just off Ga. Highway 85. Gupta is requesting a change from A-R (agricultural-residential) zoning, which requires minimum five-acre lots, to R-72, which allows lots as small as two acres. The group also recommended approval of Gupta's request for R-40 zoning, which allows one-acre lots, eight months ago. But the county Board of Commissioners denied that request. At that time, the county's zoning staff recommended R-72 zoning for the land instead of the R-40 requested, but this time, the staff has recommended denial of the request, leaving the land to be developed in five-acre lots. "In my mind," said planning commissioner Jim Graw," this is a better proposal than the one we had at that time." But Terry Durant, who lives next door, held up a jug filled with brown water and said she drew the water from her tap just before driving to the Planning Commission meeting. The area is served by wells. "It will not help to add all these families and all their waste to the water table," said Durant. Gupta said if the subdivision is approved, he'll bring county water to the neighborhood and residents in the area can tap on. But Durant said that's no solution. It would cost too much to tap on, she said, and she would never be able to afford to use county water to sprinkle her lawn and garden. She's content to keep buying her drinking water, but she doesn't want the water table further polluted, she said. Durant was one of four residents who spoke in opposition to the rezoning, citing traffic concerns and the fact that most of the homes surrounding the proposed subdivision are on lots of five acres or more. But some of those lots are zoned for one-acre lots, Gupta argued. "The criteria, in my opinion, has to be what is zoned and not what is there," he said. Commission member Al Gilbert said the plan is in keeping with the county's land use plan for the area, and admonished home buyers to look at the land use plan before buying in an area. The County Commission will consider the proposal April 26 at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex. They also will consider: Cyress Development Company's plan to add 127.5 acres with 60 homes to the Whitewater Creek community. Planning commissioners voted 3-2 to recommend approval. A request from 3D Properties for a change from A-R to O-I (office-institutional) for 8.1 acres across from Huiet Drive on Ga. Highway 54 west, for a medical office. Planning commissioners unanimously recommended approval. Lynn Fedor's request for O-I zoning on three quarters of an acre on Ga. Highway 54 east at Plantation Drive. Fedor wants to move her insurance/financial planning office to the property, using the existing house. Planning commissioners unanimously recommended approval.
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