Rockdale County commissioners adopt zoning changes, approve contracts and appointments

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners on April 8 approved a package of contracts, accepted revisions to the county's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and confirmed five planning commission appointments.

The meeting opened with proclamations and recognitions and proceeded to business dominated by land-use code changes, routine contract approvals and two zoning items tied to the county's comprehensive plan. The board adopted a revised gasoline-station rule that requires a larger separation between stations, approved multiple memoranda of understanding for emergency sheltering, accepted technology and service contracts and confirmed planning commission members.

Why it matters: The UDO text changes—particularly the newly adopted buffer for gasoline stations and new rules for vape stores and small-box discount retail—alter where certain businesses can locate in Rockdale County. The changes and the rezoning votes will affect development patterns, permitting and future permitting decisions; the board also acted on several budgeted contracts and intergovernmental agreements that affect county operations.

The most notable actions

- Zoning and UDO changes: After discussion the board adopted a second-reading ordinance amending several sections of the Rockdale County Unified Development Ordinance to add gasoline stations to the definitions and to create supplemental standards regulating their location and design. Planning Director Gardner explained the draft standards and enumerated setbacks, frontage and lot-size requirements, minimum distances from residences and public assembly sites, and operational limits; the board amended the proposal on the floor to increase the minimum separation between gasoline service stations from 1 mile to 4 miles and approved the ordinance as amended. The board also approved second readings adopting text amendments to add small-box discount retailers and vape stores to the UDO (vape-store rules make existing vape stores nonconforming), and amendments covering warehouses and self-storage units.

- Short-term rentals: A proposed UDO amendment restricting short-term rentals (including limits described in the draft: 14 consecutive days or 30 days total per year) prompted concern from several commissioners about unintended impacts on homeowners and small-business operators. After discussion the board voted to defer the short-term rental text amendment for further work with planning staff and the sheriff's office.

- Rezoning and future land use: The board approved a future-land-use amendment and companion rezoning for property at 2200 Frontier Drive NW. Planning staff had recommended Office/Institutional rather than full Commercial; the board adopted the future-land-use change to Office/Institutional and approved the companion rezoning consistent with that direction. The board also approved rezoning 1535 and 1565 NW Farmer Road from R-1 (single-family residential) to M-1 (limited industrial) with conditions; staff indicated the site would function as a substation with no regular employees, and no additional lane improvements were required.

- Contracts, memoranda and services (approved): The board approved a set of budgeted and routine purchases and agreements, including a Comcast Enterprise Services circuit for the water treatment ENS interface ($695.87/month, 60 months, budgeted from the water enterprise fund); a change order to the Department of Natural Resources contract for De Castro Trailhead Nature Center and Pavilion (signature only, limitation-of-use affidavit to be recorded); an easement to Snapping Shoals EMC to provide power along High Rock Road; memoranda of understanding with local churches (Conyers First Methodist, First Baptist Church of Conyers, Springfield Baptist Church and Kent/Westminster) to provide emergency sheltering, including temporary pet sheltering (no cost to the county; annual auto-renewal); an intergovernmental agreement with Georgia State University to provide mental-health consulting and services for the sheriff's office mental-health unit; a LexisNexis Risk Solutions subscription for AccuRent virtual crime-center software ($22,450 per year); a memorandum of understanding with the Georgia Veterans Memorial Foundation for coordination of the Walk of Heroes in Black Shoals Park (county covers utilities, maintenance and insurance); and a renewal requisition with Aptera Solutions Inc. for clearing easements (not to exceed $250,000 from the water enterprise fund). All were approved by voice vote.

- Housing financing notice: John Nicks of the Development Authority presented a TEFRA-style public-financing notice for a proposed refinancing of The Terraces, a 316-unit multifamily complex off Ellington Road using tax-exempt bonds that would reserve 20% of units for households at 50% of area median income. Nicks clarified this is conduit financing for the non-profit borrower, not a county tax abatement, and the county's approval would not create a financial obligation for Rockdale County. The board did not take a vote on that financing at the April 8 meeting; the authority anticipates a resolution at a subsequent meeting.

- Appointments: The board confirmed five members to the newly constituted Rockdale County Planning Commission: Ernestine Sovall Goolsby, Angelique McClendon, Danny Forster, John Lee Peterson Jr., and Marlesia Lianci. Terms were staggered to align with the formation of the five-member county planning commission.

Procedure, votes and notable roll calls

Most items were approved by voice vote after motions were made and seconded. The gasoline-station ordinance was amended on the floor and adopted with the board's amendment increasing the minimum separation to 4 miles; one commissioner recorded an abstention during that vote. The short-term rental amendment was deferred by a motion to allow staff to work with the sheriff and planning consultant to address enforcement, registration, and business-license issues.

Other meeting items

Finance: Chief Sanders (budget presentation) reported year-to-date figures through February showing the general fund with 87.37% of budget remaining (the “ideal remaining percentage” benchmark for departments was 83.33%). The enterprise funds (water resources and stormwater) reported 88.09% of budget remaining combined.

Public comment: Residents raised concerns about local service and development patterns in Mountain Valley, asked for more public visioning, and urged that the county avoid overconcentrating gas stations and “box” retail. A resident thanked the board for stormwater follow-up on neighborhood drains.

Executive session: The board moved into executive session to discuss pending and threatened litigation and personnel matters.

What’s next: The board will consider the Terraces financing resolution at a subsequent meeting and will bring a revised short-term rental proposal back after staff consultations.

Ending: The board concluded by noting community events and invitations to the State of the County address April 23; the meeting was adjourned after the executive-session motion carried.