Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | County refuses to rezone Hwy. 85By JOHN THOMPSON In one of the few split votes in recent months, the Fayette County Commission last week turned down an office park on Ga. Highway 85. Developer Tom Reese wanted to build the office park on 20.66 acres on Hwy. 85 South at McBride Road. Reese appeared before the County Commission Thursday night and asked the board to rezone the property from agricultural (A-R) to office (O-I). In the last 10 years, this area has transitioned into an area filled with office uses, Reese said. Reese showed the commissioners an overhead map of the area, and pointed out the office uses, including the Whitewater school complex, along with several churches in the area. The developer argued that residential developers would not want to build developments fronting on the busy state highway and said he planned to put 20 buildings on the site that would be owned by professional people. Reese had appeared before the board earlier in the year, but was turned down. He resubmitted has plan with two fewer buildings on the site. Local business owner Richard Dumas was all for the proposal. Ive lived here for 34 years and Tom Reese is a man of good character. If the property fronts on 85, it should be O-I, he said. Larry Redding agreed with Dumas and said he would love to move his business here from neighboring Clayton County. An office park is a good neighbor to residents, he added. But the residents who lived in the area were not too sure. You see churches, schools and homes in that area. We dont want our 85 to look like Riverdales 85, said Debbie Matthews. Brenda Evens told the commission that she was concerned about the septic system the office park would be using. The health and safety of the residents are at stake, she said. Other residents pleaded with the commission to help maintain the quality of life in the area and to keep the development low-impact residential. Everybody is there for the same reason. I have no interest in living across from an office park, said David Wilson. After the residents spoke for nearly 45 minutes, the commission weighed in on the issue. Commissioner A.G. VanLandingham said he had spoken with several developers who said they would not want to develop residential behind the gas station that fronts the property. An office park is not nearly as bad as what could go there, he added. Commissioner Herb Frady agreed and said the office park would provide valuable services for people in the area. But Commissioner Linda Wells had a different perspective on the issue. She said the county had been very careful about not creating another Riverdale and said the huge amount of impervious surface created by the development could produce a very negative impact. Commissioner Peter Pfeifer also opposed the rezoning and made a motion to deny the O-I rezoning and instead rezone the property R-70, which sets a minimum two-acre lot size. Chairman Greg Dunn also said it was a difficult issue to decide, because Reese was one of the best developers in the area. But in the end, Dunn decided to vote against the O-I request. I dont find a compelling use to change the plan. People do buy homes near schools and the people who moved there didnt envision offices, he added. Pfeifer, Dunn and Wells voted to rezone the property R-70, while Frady and Van Landingham voted against it. The fate of Hwy. 85 was the main thrust of Thursdays meeting. Shortly before the O-I rezoning request, the commissioners approved a request by developer Jeff Ellis to build a conservation subdivision on Hwy. 85 South, near Whitewater Middle School. Ellis plans to build 46 homes on the 124-acre tract. Ellis told the board that a conservation subdivision would preserve 47 percent of the greenspace. Resident Richard Brown said he had a problem with the commissioners rezoning to a smaller home and lot size. Ive seen this pattern in the past, he said. But Ellis seemed to alleviate some of the residents concerns by pledging to increase the home size from 2,000 square feet to 2,500 square feet. The commission unanimously approved the request for the conservation subdivision rezoning. His (Elliss) reputation is impeccable, said Chairman Greg Dunn. |
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