Rehearing requested to rezone Thomaston Road site for Dollar General
Although an application to rezone Thomaston Road property for a discount store was denied in July, the applicant has requested a rehearing.
The matter is expected to be heard Monday at the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission meeting.
SW West Macon LLC applied earlier this year to have nearly 12 acres at 6855 Thomaston Road rezoned from an agricultural district to a planned development commercial district in order to build a Dollar General. At that time, the application stated a convenience store and self-storage units could be added to the site.
Some residents who live near the property spoke against the rezoning at that meeting. One resident said a roundabout had been put in at the intersection of Thomaston Road and Lamar Road to help relieve traffic issues there, but the addition of the store would cause more traffic problems.
The commission unanimously denied the rezoning application.
In an effort to get a rehearing on the matter, the applicant is now asking the commission to rezone 2.2 acres at the intersection for the Dollar General only.
“The remaining 9.43 acres would remain the current ag zoning and would act as a large wooded buffer from neighbors,” according to a statement filed with the commission office by the applicant.
In this scenario, the closest residential property line from the proposed store would be about 300 feet away on Thomaston Road and about 500 feet away on Lamar Road -- both separated by a heavily wooded area, according to the statement.
The closest Dollar General is 3 miles east of the site at Interstate 475, the applicant pointed out.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in the 10th floor conference room, Willie C. Hill Government Center Annex, 682 Cherry St.
Other items on the agenda are:
REZONINGS:
5097 Riverside Drive: Proposal to rezone from A-Agricultural District to C-2, General Commercial District. The purpose of this rezoning is to allow a retail furniture store (Rooms To Go retail store). Rooms To Go, applicant.
CONDITIONAL USES:
1711 Key St.: Conditional use to allow auto sales in an existing building, C-2 District. Christopher Johnson, applicant.
1937 College Drive: Conditional use to allow a new construction of a new development (Physical Plant Building), R-3 District. Don Carter, Carter & Sloope, applicant.
5251 Sardis Church Road: Conditional use to allow a distribution center, M-1 District. Don Carter, Carter & Sloope, Inc., applicant.
4724 Bennett Road: Conditional use to allow a pet kennel, A-Agricultural District. Thomas Hulett, Chris Gilstrap, applicant.
9761 Lower Thomaston Road: Conditional use to allow a home occupation with clients, A-Agricultural District. John Lord, applicant.
4719 Raley Road: Conditional use to allow a residential multi-family development with (19 lots), R-1A District. Widner & Associates, applicant.
1000 Northside Drive: Conditional use to allow an office park expansion, R-3 District. Widner & Associates, applicant.
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS:
555 Poplar St.: Certificate of Appropriateness to allow design approval of exterior modifications, CBD-1 District. Bob Brown, applicant.
2045 Vineville Ave. (a/k/a: 2047 Vineville Ave): Certificate of Appropriateness to allow exterior modifications to an existing church, HR-3 District. Vineville United Methodist Church, applicant.
VARIANCES:
5097 Riverside Drive: Variance in parking requirement to reduce required parking from 168 spaces to 148 spaces, A-Agricultural District. [C-2 Pending]. Rooms To Go, applicant.
848 Ellenwood Circle West: Variance in setback requirements to allow a fence, R-1AAA District. Mitchell & Maria Jones, applicant.
To contact writer Linda S. Morris, call 744-4223. or find her on Twitternote>
This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Rehearing requested to rezone Thomaston Road site for Dollar General ."