With an overflow crowd watching, the Senoia Planning Commission Monday night approved a future land use map and a zoning map to help guide the city's future growth.

Although the meeting got off to a rough start with some citizens not allowed into the meeting, (Click here for story) the city's planners were finally able to agree on the maps and forward them to the City Council after studying them for the last year.

While many citizens expressed resentment over the planners incorporating a historic town center zoning classification for the town's downtown, it's not clear whether the classification will stand the scrutiny of the council.

The new zoning classification limits the types of uses in the downtown business area and has come under fire from the city's business owners. The business leaders have conducted several meetings with Mayor Joan Trammell and have offered a compromise in the battle.

If the city allows the building to retain a general commercial classification, the business leaders have pledged to go along with a historical review committee that would govern any changes to the exterior of the buildings.

The business people's main contention with the historical town center zoning is what would happen if they had to sell their businesses. Many of the businesses in town would be in a nonconforming use under the new classification. The owners are concerned they would not be able to sell their businesses since the use would not necessarily be allowed in the town center classification.

Many of the business leaders, including Veranda Bed and Breakfast owner Jan Boal and Cumberland Subdivision developer Dennis Boutwell expressed concern about the new zoning category.

"We don't really know what historic town center means," Boal said.

Planning Commission chairman Darlene Stanley said the classification only concerned businesses and what would be allowed in the buildings. Some residents were concerned the zoning might apply to their residences, but Stanley said it did not apply to residential property.

The commission made minor changes to the map including:

· Changing Rick Viall's property on Seavy Street to multi-family. The commission originally had the property marked as single family residential, but changed the map when it was discovered the property had been zoned multifamily for several years.

· Denying a request by beauty shop owner Beverly Waters to change her zoning on the map from residential to commercial for her business on Ga. Highway 16.

Waters showed the commissioners a letter from the city in 1990 that affirmed her piece of property as commercial. But Stanley said she foresees the busy highway as more residential than commercial.

"Just look at Hwy. 92 in Fayetteville. You can't tell me that a state highway has to be automatically commercial," she said.

After the commission denied her request, Waters said they were making a mistake.

"I've been here 31 years. You're robbing me of opportunities," she said.