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Planning commission approves split rezoning at Stevens View Road, adds 1‑acre buffer to neighbor
Summary
Pickens County planning staff recommended and the commission approved rezoning 12 acres of a 33.334‑acre tract at 285 Stevens View Road so 11 acres become highway business and 1 acre is combined with a neighboring rural lot as a buffer for an adjacent homeowner; the remaining acreage stays agricultural.
The Pickens County Planning Commission approved a rezoning that will reclassify parts of a 33.334‑acre tract at 285 Stevens View Road, rezoning an 11‑acre portion to highway business and combining a separate 1‑acre parcel with an adjacent rural residential lot as a buffer for a neighbor. Charles, staff member for the planning office, presented the proposal and recommended approval.
The county staff report said the property sits at the intersection of Highway 515 South and Highway 108 and lies, in part, within the arterial commercial character area of the county’s comprehensive plan. "The arterial commercial character area is identified for commercial uses along Highway 515 South," Charles said, and staff recommended approval of the combined 12‑acre portion with the 1‑acre piece designated rural residential and the remaining 11 acres to highway business.
The proposal would leave about 21.3 acres of the original 33.34‑acre tract in agricultural zoning, the staff presentation said. The rezoning application was described in the record as RZ191011; the parcel number given in staff materials was listed as 053D...079 and the adjacent lot as 053D078001.
During public comment, Kenneth Merrill Morris, who said he lives at 3685 Highway 515 South and has owned his property for 25 years, asked that the one‑acre piece be combined with his lot to provide a buffer if commercial development occurs next door. "When Ava told me she was gonna sell that land commercial, I spoke to her... could you sell me 1 acre because so close to the line, I'd like to buy to have a buffer there," Morris said. Morris said he had already offered access and other cooperation with nearby properties and that the parcel owner had offered to sell the acre at a reduced price.
Commission discussion added a condition to ensure the one‑acre piece would be combined with Morris’s existing parcel as rural residential; commissioners clarified on the record that the 11‑acre portion will become highway business and the remainder will remain in agriculture. A motion to approve the rezoning with that condition was made and seconded; the commission voted in favor by voice and the motion carried.
This action rezones part of a larger tract for commercial use while protecting a narrow, one‑acre residential buffer requested by an adjoining property owner; no new development approvals were granted as part of this vote. The staff presentation and commission action did not specify any timeline for sale or development of the 11‑acre highway business parcel.
The commission closed the hearing on RZ191011 after the vote. No statutes or other legal authorities beyond references to the county comprehensive plan were cited in the public record for this item.
