Commissioners conditionally discuss Woodland Church’s proposed religious campground, including cabins, access and liability safeguards

Woodland Church representatives, planning staff and commissioners discussed a special-exception application to permit a religious campground/retreat on roughly 132.25 acres on North McDonough Road. Staff described the use as limited to church-sponsored retreats and similar events, not a public campground, and provided a draft package of approval conditions intended to limit impacts and define operational controls.

Why it matters: The proposal would allow the church to host organized, overnight religious retreats with permanent cabins and programmed outdoor activities on property that is not open to the general public. Because the use includes overnight stays and on-site activities, commissioners focused on public safety, traffic/turning-lane improvements, water/septic permitting, and protections to prevent the site from being used as an open-ended residential or treatment facility.

Draft approval conditions described by staff (summary) - No parking in the right-of-way; permanent cabins limited to 10 initially, located outside stream buffers, setbacks and flood zones; applicant may seek additional cabins later through discretionary planning processes. - Permanent cabins must meet septic and water permitting requirements; cabins limited to occupancy only during specific, organized religious retreat events. - The church must provide liability insurance and fence any splash pad to pool-safety standards; ropes-course activities must be supervised by church staff; final site layout subject to fire marshal approval; access to cabin areas must be gated and restricted when not in use but fire marshal must have 24-hour gate access. - A 25-foot natural buffer is required along side and rear property lines; no RVs or pop-up campers are permitted (staff clarified that the restriction was intended to distinguish this site from general-purpose campgrounds and that short-term, organized special events could be accommodated under a special-event permit).

Commissioner concerns and adjustments suggested - Several commissioners pressed for cabins to include indoor restroom/shower facilities rather than requiring campers to use distant or external facilities; staff agreed to require at least one full bathroom in each permanent cabin or a proximate enclosed restroom/shower facility so occupants would not have to go outdoors at night. - Commissioners asked staff to require the church to coordinate with the Georgia Department of Transportation on turning-lane improvements and to specify that any additional driveway access to North McDonough Road requires GDOT approval. - Commissioners and staff discussed clarifying the length of stay and enforcing that cabins be used only for specific religious retreats (one commissioner suggested limiting guest stays without prior approval to a defined maximum such as 10 days; staff noted the draft language already limited occupancy to retreat events and that special-event permits could handle short-term exceptions). - Several commissioners expressed concerns that the facility not be repurposed as an open-ended treatment facility or group home; staff said such a use would be inconsistent with the religious-campground definition and state law, and would likely require different approvals.

Next steps Staff said the draft conditions could be amended to reflect the board’s direction (for example, adding restroom requirements inside cabins or a centralized bathhouse, adding GDOT coordination language, and clarifying occupancy timing) and return for formal action. No final vote occurred at the work session.