Walton County denies rezoning request for Johnson Road property after neighbors raise concerns about chickens

The Walton County Board of Commissioners on Oct. not specified denied a request to rezone 3.9 acres at 2487 Johnson Road from R‑1 (residential) to A‑1 (agricultural) after neighbors spoke at a public hearing about the number and odor of chickens on the property.

The rezoning request (Z25‑283) was presented to the board during the public hearing portion of the meeting. Planning staff told commissioners the planning commission recommended denial; staff said that if the board chose to approve, it would request limits on the number of animals and that approval be conditioned for this specific use only. The board voted to accept the planning commission’s recommendation of denial.

The hearing drew several neighbors. CJ Hipparos, who said he lives at 3685 McCullers Road and is adjacent to the property, described the applicant as a neighbor and friend and said the applicant initially wanted chickens as pets and might sell eggs in the future. Multiple other neighbors opposed the request. One adjacent resident, who did not give a name at the podium, said he had photographed the coops and estimated "at least 50 chickens" on the property and warned that "chickens have odors." Ryan Nesbitt, 2498 Johnson Road, told the board, "This is not a farming community ... we just can't do that," and said residents feared a shift from backyard poultry to larger farm animals if A‑1 zoning were allowed. Ralph Nesbitt, 2498 Johnson Road, also opposed the rezoning and said he wanted his neighborhood to remain quiet.

The applicant and supporters said the intent was to keep poultry as pets and possibly sell eggs. In rebuttal the applicant’s representative said the coops had been expanded to make the animals more comfortable and indicated the applicant planned to keep about 40 birds; the representative offered to share photos of the coops with the board.

Following the public hearing, a commissioner moved to deny the rezoning, citing the planning commission recommendation; another commissioner seconded the motion. Commissioners also discussed the existing animals on the property: because R‑1 zoning does not permit the current animals, the board approved a 30‑day period for the animals to be removed from the property.

The denial means the property remains zoned R‑1 and cannot host the proposed animal sales or expanded agricultural uses without a successful future rezoning. The board did not announce any appeal or follow‑up schedule at the meeting.

This item was the subject of the public hearing portion of the agenda and drew multiple speakers for and against; the planning commission had reviewed the request previously and recommended denial.