The Bulloch County Planning Board voted 3-1 to deny a variance that would have allowed EcoPlastic America Corporation to install a 260-square-foot freestanding sign at 4800 Highway 301 South.

Heather Merritt, representing EcoPlastic, asked the board to approve a larger sign to improve visibility for drivers, visitors and truck operators at the facility, which she said is near Interstate 16. Merritt said the company is constructing a second plant behind its existing site in Register, Georgia, and that each facility will have capacity for roughly 650 employees.

Planning staff presented maps, the zoning map (staff said the parcel is light industrial with conditions), a site plan and daytime and nighttime photo simulations. The staff report noted the applicable code is Appendix C, Section 22.11, Table 3, which limits a freestanding sign to 150 square feet; the applicant proposed a 260-square-foot sign. The staff report also lists recommended conditions in the event a variance is granted; the transcript did not record a full staff recommendation read into the record.

Board member Bath moved to deny the request; board member Lane seconded. The board voted to deny the variance by a 3-1 margin, with board member Lovett recorded as the lone no vote. The chair explained that a denial by the planning board can be appealed to the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners, and that an appeal would require a 30-day advertisement period before the commissioners could consider the item, likely putting a hearing in December if the applicant chose to pursue it.

Merritt urged the board to consider the company’s safety concerns, including limited sight lines at the entrance caused by trees and heavy truck traffic, which she said have led to abrupt braking and missed entrances. She also said improved signage would support operations and employee access as the company expands.

One board member asked whether granting the variance would set a precedent for other warehouses seeking larger signs; that concern was raised in the course of the discussion. The record shows the board opted to deny the request; the transcript records that staff recommended conditions if approval were granted but does not spell out a staff recommendation to approve or deny in full.

The applicant was told she may appeal the denial to the Board of Commissioners; the transcript identifies the procedural steps and timing but does not record what, if any, additional materials the commissioners would require.