The board of commissioners considered a rezoning request and associated comp plan amendment on January 6, 2021. The board denied both requests for property off state route 20 west of McDonough.
The subject property, consisting of 8.43 +/- acres, is located on SR 20 east of its intersection with Simpson Mill Road. The county previously rezoned the property, as part of a larger tract, in April 2009 from RA (residential agricultural) to C-1 (neighborhood commercial) and OI (office-institutional).
The applicant, ARP Holdings, LLC of Conyers, GA, applied to rezone the property from OI to C-2 (general commercial) before later amending their request to C-1 (neighborhood commercial). The 8.43 +/- acres is bordered by state route 20 to the north, undeveloped property zoned C-1 to the west, residential housing to the east, and a power line easement to the south. The power line easement forms a buffer between the subject property and additional residential housing further south.
Proposed Uses
ARP Holdings, LLC proposed two commercial buildings on the property totaling 50,600 square feet of floor space. The uses were conceptual in nature and not designed for any specific tenant. The applicant shared their intent behind the rezoning request was to create conformity with the existing adjacent commercial zoning. If both properties are zoned for commercial use, then they could be master planned and developed as one.
The applicant excluded from the request a portion of the property accessible from Simpson Mill Road. It has a zoning of OI (office-institutional). The OI zoning district permits medical offices, office buildings, houses of worship, assisted living facilities, and hospice care as examples of potential uses.
The associated comprehensive plan amendment asked to amend the future land use map from low-density residential to commercial. Planning staff and the zoning advisory board recommended approval of the comp plan amendment.
Planning staff recommended approval of the change in zoning to C-1. The ZAB recommended denial.
Board Action
Commissioner Clemmons, in whose district the request is located, motioned to deny the comp plan amendment seconded by Commissioner Thomas. The motion passed 5-1, with Commissioner Wilson voting in opposition.
Commissioner Clemmons made a motion to deny the rezoning request seconded by Commissioner Thomas. The motion passed unanimously. The property remains zoned OI.
