By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

TCG Holdings Inc.'s plan to put 49 homes on 178 acres on Ga. Highway 92 south is compatible with the Fayette County's land use plan, the Planning Commission decided last week.

But reducing the number of homes to the 30 or so that would be allowed under the land's current zoning is also in keeping with the land use plan, commissioners said.

The group voted 3-2 to recommend denial of owner Addie Oakley's request to change the zoning from A-R (agricultural-residential), which requires minimum five-acre lots, to R-80, which allows subdivisions with three-acre lots.

“If this were sitting somewhere else where you didn't have the sensitive area, it wouldn't be a problem,” said commissioner Jim Graw, but he voted against the motion to deny the rezoning, saying the proposals fits within the land use plan.

But the proposed subdivision is surrounded with A-R zoning, said commissioner Fred Bowen, adding that home sites as large as 25 acres are in the vicinity.

“It's the culture of the neighborhood,” he said. “And we've concerned ourselves with protecting the Woolsey area in particular,” he added.

Sensitive wetlands abound in the area, and the Health Department has reported problems with septic systems there, said commission Chairman Bob Harbison.

Commissioner Al Gilbert joined Graw in voting against the motion to deny.

The County Commission will hear the request Dec. 9. The commission's Nov. 11 and Nov. 25 meetings have been cancelled due to conflicts with holidays.

Also on the Dec. 9 agenda will be the Planning Commission's positive recommendation on changes to the county's laws on use of temporary classrooms by churches.

As interpreted by county officials, the current law would prohibit a church from getting a permit to use temporary classrooms during construction of expanded facilities if the church used the trailers previously during original construction. The new language would allow use of the temporary classrooms during subsequent expansion projects.

A set of amendments to the county's land use plan also received the planning panel's recommendation and will be on the commission agenda.

The group unanimously voted to recommend:

Changing the name of flood plains in the plan from “parks and open space” to “conservation areas,” to avoid confusion. Many people see the old designation on land use maps and expect to see parks developed in those areas, said planning director Chris Venice.

Changing the anticipated land use on Ga. Highway 74 north from light industrial to low-density agricultural.

Changing the designation of an area just west of Brooks from light industrial to low-density agricultural.

Changing the designation of an area on the south side of Ga. Highway 54 east from light industrial to a combination of office-institutional and residential.

Changing the expected use of land at the Westbridge Road/Ga. Highway 92 intersection from commercial to limited commercial.

Removing color references from land use maps. Planners are now using a system of grid patterns to designate different land uses.

Removing a letter-sized land use map from the land use plan document. The map is too hard to read, said Venice, and residents wanting information about specific parcels should look at the poster-sized map available in the planning office, she said.