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Zoning board denies church application for Berry Road property over traffic, drainage concerns
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Summary
The zoning board unanimously denied a conditional‑use request to operate a religious facility at 180 Berry Road after staff and neighbors cited road geometry, drainage and access issues that would require significant frontage improvements.
The Henry County Zoning Board unanimously denied a conditional‑use request to establish a place of worship at 180 Berry Road after staff and residents raised transportation and drainage concerns that staff said would make the site unsuitable for a nonresidential use.
Ken Salano, planning staff, presented the application and told the board the parcel is zoned RA (residential agricultural) and that religious facilities are permitted with a conditional use under the code citation transcribed as "4 0 3 14 e of the ULV C." Salano said public water is available but public sewer is not; environmental health said the existing septic could support the proposed development. The central staff objection was transportation: Berry Road is a local, dead‑end road with a steep grade and a curve approaching the site, and Chapter 8 would require roughly 2,200 feet of roadway widening and related drainage relocation from the site frontage to Airline Road for a commercial use.
Applicant Kaye Ann Hall said the church would be a small, home‑based congregation and emphasized community and worship needs. "The church was a place that rescued me when I first moved here," Hall told the board, and she said the congregation planned limited weekly services and Bible studies.
Residents who live on Berry Road strongly opposed the request. Marilyn House, who lives down the street, said, "It's nice and quiet. We want to keep it residential." William Paris, another neighbor, cited the road’s grade and blind spots and said increased traffic would be dangerous. Several speakers said crashes have occurred on the Airline‑Berry approach and urged the board to preserve the residential character of the area.
After public comment, a board member moved to deny CU2502 on staff grounds citing "physical limitations of the property and also its limited traffic capability and drainage issues." The motion carried unanimously.
Ending: The denial means the applicant cannot operate a religious facility at 180 Berry Road under the current application; any future use requiring nonresidential access to Berry Road would need to meet roadway and drainage improvements and obtain the necessary building, life‑safety and licensing approvals.
