The Fayette Citizen-News Page
Friday, January 27, 1999
Planners to vote on 85 Overlay, take another look at roadside mailboxes

By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

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Fayette County commissioners will receive proposed new development rules for Ga. Highway 85 north with one change from the last version they saw in December.

The county Planning Commission will have a public hearing Feb. 4 with plans to vote on the ordinance again, sending it to the County Commission for its consideration Feb. 25. Both meetings are at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex.

During their monthly work session last week, Planning Commission members decided to loosen restraints on development in the corridor, allowing two driveways for developments having at least 500 feet of road frontage, as long as those curb cuts would be at least 250 feet from those on adjacent properties.

Earlier versions of the Hwy. 85 Overlay ordinance restricted all developments to one driveway.

County commissioners and planning commissioners batted the ordinance back and forth like a tennis ball during much of 1998, tweaking it a bit more in each exchange.

The law is designed to encourage quality commercial development in the corridor, to create an aesthetically pleasing entrance to Fayette from the north.

But Julian Lee, owner of several acres along Hwy. 85, has repeatedly objected that the ordinance is too restrictive.

When they considered the new law in December, county commissioners tabled the matter and asked the Planning Commission to consider the driveway change along with a restriction that 50 percent of parking be arranged along the sides and rear of developments, and a rule requiring screening of rooftop equipment from view.

But rooftop screening is not a heavy burden, said county zoning administrator Kathy Zeitler, who added that the parking requirements are plainly written in the county's land use plan, so the new overlay ordinance should conform.

"It doesn't require completely opaque screening [for rooftop equipment]," said Zeitler. "They can use a parapet wall designed into the building or lattice screening."

Planners also will consider the much-discussed mailbox rules again Feb. 4, with plans to send new wording to the County Commission Feb. 25.

Commissioners had asked the Planning Commission to consider changing its ban on monument-type mailbox supports, allowing the brick, stone and other unbreakable supports on subdivision streets where speed limits are low.

But Planning Commission members last week again asserted that the rules should apply to all residents equally. The new language in the ordinance will include detailed descriptions of break-away supports that are allowed. The descriptions come from Georgia Department of Transportation regulations.


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