Residents of Will's Way subdivision are worried that Charles Jefferson's plans to build three homes on Brogdon Road will put them in deep water.

Runoff from Jefferson's six-acre parcel already dumps water onto several lots in the subdivision, said Mark Ballard, speaking for his neighbors during last week's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

The Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the County Commission change the zoning of Jefferson's land from agricultural-residential, a category that allows single family homes on five acres or more, to R-45, a category that allows homes on lots of one or more acres.

The County Commission will consider the request during its meeting Sept. 24, 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex.

Neighbors are concerned not just about drainage, but also about the use of septic tanks on the narrow lots being proposed, said Ballard. And they worry that three homes on such narrow lots will create a safety hazard on Brogdon Road. The land fronts on a sharp bend in the road.

Planning Commission members said county laws require builders to solve any drainage problems in the construction process. The depth of the lots will accommodate septic tanks, they said, and the group's recommendation includes a restriction that requires that the three homes have only two driveways on Brogdon. Two homes will have to share one driveway.

In other business, the commission recommended approval of Brian Jackson's request for office-institutional zoning for 4.76 acres at Corinth Road and Ga. Highway 54 east, with several conditions.

Commission member Al Gilbert voted against the recommendation, saying he was concerned about the number of conditions placed on the rezoning. "When I saw ten conditions, I questioned whether this should be zoned or not," said Gilbert.

The property surrounds a corner lot, also owned by Jackson, that was zoned C-H (highway commercial) last year for a convenience store. The rezoning sparked controversy as county Commissioner Scott Burrell voted in favor of the proposal without disclosing that he had been a partner with Jackson in a previous business deal.

Jackson said he wants to put four office buildings on the property and, although commissioners said his concept plan would not meet county laws concerning road frontage, they added that the zoning is appropriate, and the final plan will have to be changed to conform to regulations.

Among other restrictions, the panel recommended that the office buildings be limited to 7,500 square feet each, a limit Jackson objected to. "You're dictating what size building I can put on my lot. You're dictating how much asphalt I can put around my buildings," Jackson said.

Commissioners made minor changes to two of the conditions, but recommended the zoning with all ten.

The Planning Commission also:

Tabled James Holt's request to revise the plat for Lakeview Estates, to remove one lot from the subdivision and rezone it for offices. Holt said he wants more time to talk to the Georgia Department of Transportation about whether the lot can have access to Ga. Highway 54.

About 30 residents attended the meeting to address the request left without voicing their opinions.

Recommended approval of Fayette County's request to rezone Mary Butler's 1.8 acres from L-B, a commercial category that no longer exists, to O-I (office institutional). The lot was overlooked when county officials recently rezoned all properties previously zoned L-B.