By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

New architectural standards are now in effect for Ga. Highway 314.

County Commissioners Thursday unanimously approved the same standards for Hwy. 314 that are in place for Ga. Highway 54 between Fayetteville and Peachtree City.

Creation of the special architectural “overlay” district is designed to solve a common problem on once-rural roads where widening projects make residents want to move elsewhere.

Residents in such situations say they can't sell their homes unless they can get office or commercial zoning, but county planners are reluctant to grant such zoning because it creates commercial congestion.

The overlay standards allow the homes along such corridors to be used as offices, but they must maintain a residential appearance, and share driveways as much as possible.

In other zoning action Thursday, commissioners:

ä Approved one-acre residential zoning for the final phase of Jeff Davis Plantation subdivision. Developer Frank Love promised to build homes of at least 2,300 square feet, and although the R-45 zoning he requested allows one-acre lots, the average lot size in the 33.88-acre development would be 2.42 acres.

ä Denied Larry Landrum's request for industrial zoning for 28.15 acres on Rockwood Road between Tyrone and Peachtree City. The county Planning Commission voted to recommend denial after having tabled the matter twice at the request of developers Integrated Science and Engineering.

The firm also asked the County Commission to table the request, but the group voted to deny the rezoning petition instead. No one was present at either meeting to speak for the request.

ä Approved a “housekeeping” request from Robert Rolader to rezone a 60-foot strip of land in Jackson Estates on Antioch Road from R-72 (allowing two-acre lots) to A-R, which allows five-acre lots.

The land is part of several lots in the planned subdivision and received its current zoning as part of a previous plan for adjoining land that was scrapped.