Friday, November 9, 2001
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Friday, November 9, 2001 |
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Vulcan loses three of four requests By JOHN
THOMPSON
It took two votes and a clarification by the county attorney, but the Coweta County Commission finally decided Tuesday morning to deny the majority of Vulcan Construction's request to expand its rock quarry on Elzie Johnson Road. The company had requested nearly 43 acres be rezoned to M-Industrial and granted special use permits for mineral extraction to expand their operations. Vulcan also requested that 24 acres already zoned industrial be granted a special use permit for mineral extraction. The zoning requests had come under heavy fire from residents on Elzie Johnson Road and nearby Arbor Springs, who complained the quarry is already causing too much noise. When the vote was finally taken Tuesday morning, it came after a testy debate among the commission. Vulcan's attorneys had asked that the matter be delayed again, because they said they were still working with community leaders on expanding buffering around the site. But Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter said the debate had gone on long enough, and said the county was getting a touchy legal situation by prolonging the issue. Hunter was referring to a meeting that occurred in the commission chambers earlier in the week that included Vulcan representatives, county staff and Commissioner Leigh Schlumper. "There are meetings taking place that are inappropriate," Hunter said. Schlumper said she was just trying to work out a compromise between the residents and the county to ensure the residents got the best possible deal from the company. But Commission Chairman Robert Wood said he would not take into consideration anything that took place at meetings after the public hearings were concluded last month. "Zoning is the most sacred thing that we do up here," he said. With the majority of commissioners saying they preferred not to wait on the zoning, Schlumper made a motion to deny the zoning requests. The measure passed 3-2 with Wood, Schlumper and Commissioner Lawrence Nelms supporting it, and Hunter and Commissioner Jim McGuffey voting against it. McGuffey said he voted against it because the planner had recommended denying the zoning for the first three tracts, but allowing the special use permit for the site closest to the quarry. Schlumper rescinded her initial motion, which County Attorney Mitch Powell said she could do, and then made a motion to follow the planner's exact recommendations, which then passed unanimously.
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