At a Suffolk County Planning and Zoning Board meeting, the board continued public hearings on rezoning application REZ202503, a request by property owner Judy Green to rezone about 5 acres at the northeast corner of U.S. 19 and Allen Road from AR (agricultural/residential) to C-2 (general commercial). Staff recommended approval but board members said they wanted more information before taking action, and the hearing was continued to the next meeting.

The question before the board was whether the county should allow a higher-intensity commercial district on a parcel inside the Gateway Corridor overlay (GC-1). Doug, a planning staff member who presented the report, said the rezoning was intended to allow development such as a convenience store or gas station and that staff recommended approval of the rezoning from AR to C-2. He told the board the parcel is roughly 5 acres, currently appears to have been recently cleared, is served by well and septic, and sits within a character area the staff report labels “forestry.”

The matter drew public opposition. Laura Gaines of 524 Allen Road said she and other residents who live on Allen Road oppose the rezoning because the area is “a very quiet community” and they are “concerned about the increase and possibility of more crime.” Michelle Wilder of 7411 Highway 19 South, Culloden, said she is also opposed and added that residents walk Allen Road and worry about additional traffic and safety. Judy Green, the applicant, said she likely would sell the lot to a developer and that she had been thinking about a “convenience store, gas station type situation because there's no gas between Thomaston and Butler.”

Board members discussed multiple planning and access issues the staff report raised. The report notes that the parcel is inside the GC-1 overlay, that the county’s comprehensive plan identifies the area’s character as forestry, and that C-2 is not listed as a typical district for that character area though it can occur on major corridors. Staff advised that if the board chose to recommend approval it could impose conditions. The written staff recommendation included three suggested conditions: require cross-access to adjacent parcels when the site is developed, require any entrance on Allen Road to be set back at least 100 feet from U.S. 19, and require compliance with GC-1 overlay standards for future development.

Board members also asked about Georgia Department of Transportation requirements for entrances or turn lanes from U.S. 19, and staff said DOT standards would apply and would need to be checked during site plan review. One board member asked for more specifics about the intended use on the site — including whether lottery or gaming-type vending would be present — before approving an open rezoning to C-2.

After public comment and discussion, a board member moved to continue the public hearing to the next meeting to allow staff and the applicant to provide additional information; another member seconded. The board continued the hearing. No final rezoning decision was made at the meeting.

The board’s next meeting will include continued review of REZ202503 and the applicant or staff may supply more detailed site and access information, including any Georgia Department of Transportation requirements for a turn lane or acceleration/deceleration lane and the applicant’s proposed access points.

Sources: Staff report read at the meeting; public comment by Laura Gaines and Michelle Wilder; statements by applicant Judy Green and planning staff.