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Planning board recommends denying O'Neil rezoning after neighborhood opposition
Summary
The Effingham County Planning Board voted May 13, 2025, to recommend denial of Tim O'Neil's request to rezone roughly 2 acres out of 12.85 acres on Green Morgan School Road from AR-1 to AR-2 following extensive neighbor opposition and board concerns about precedent and subdivision pressure.
The Effingham County Planning Board on May 13, 2025, recommended denial of a request to rezone approximately 2.0 acres of a 12.85-acre parcel on Green Morgan School Road from AR-1 to AR-2. The motion to recommend denial was made by Planning Board member Boykin and seconded by Planning Board member Patrick; the board voted in favor.
Staff member Chelsea explained the applicant sought AR-2 for the 2-acre portion because AR-1 requires a five-acre minimum and the proposed parcel would be below that threshold. Applicant Peggy O'Neil spoke for her husband, Tim O'Neil, and said the couple had a surveyed flag-lot design and had completed a perc test. She told the board they did not intend to further subdivide the tract.
Neighbors testified in force against the rezoning. Roseanne Brandt told the board, "We really want to keep it, the 5 acre. We moved out there... because we don't want overcrowding." Her husband, Greg Brent, and several other residents, including Mark Floyd and Blake Floyd, echoed concerns that rezoning to smaller minimum lots could lead to incremental subdivision and denser development along Green Morgan School Road and Old Dixie Highway. One resident said mobile homes had recently appeared near the end of Green Morgan School Road and neighbors worried such changes would continue.
Board members discussed the many existing nonconforming smaller lots in the area, the county's effort to address nonconformities, and the possible future creation of an AR-3 district (a 2.5-acre option) that staff said was under consideration. Given the neighborhood opposition and the board's view that the applicant could pursue a different zoning option when AR-3 becomes available, Boykin moved to recommend denial. Patrick seconded, and the motion to recommend denial passed with no recorded nays.
The board's recommendation will be forwarded to the Effingham County Board of Commissioners for a final decision at its June 2025 meeting. Staff advised the applicant to consult with development services and to appear at the commissioners' meeting to explain options and any changes she may wish to pursue.
