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Planners recommend rezoning 25 acres for school maintenance facility on Hodgesville Road
Summary
The Effingham County Planning Board on Aug. 12 recommended rezoning roughly 25 acres from PD to AR‑1 so the Board of Education can build a maintenance facility serving nearby schools; the recommendation goes to the Board of Commissioners on Sept. 2.
The Effingham County Planning Board on Aug. 12 recommended rezoning about 25 acres on Hodgesville Road from Planned Development (PD) to Agricultural Residential‑1 (AR‑1) to allow the Effingham County Board of Education to build a maintenance facility. The change, which the board approved as a recommendation to the Effingham County Board of Commissioners, would allow an education support facility to locate on the parcel; the county’s table of permitted uses was updated July 15, 2025 to include education support facilities in AR‑1, staff said. Miss Chelsea, planning staff with Development Services, told the board the application was complete and outlined two staff conditions: “Number 1, that a site plan shall be approved by the board of commissioners,” and “Number 2, any encroachment on the Hodgeville Road will be reviewed and approved by the county engineer.” Ron Womack, identified in the meeting as chief operations officer for FBM County Schools, described the proposed use. “So it's maintenance school facility maintenance. So it's where we'll have our white fleet shop. We'll be the only full time person there in the shop. So they're usually 2 mechanics that handle any kind of, White Fleet vehicles or lawnmowers tractors, any maintenance equipment as mini excavators, things of that nature,” Womack said. A nearby resident, Jennifer Jeffers, asked how large the buffer between the maintenance site and adjacent homes would be. Jonathan Home, the county engineer, said from parcel lines “it appears to be about 150 feet.” Planning staff also noted there is a separate, intervening parcel between the proposed site and adjacent residences that the applicant does not control and therefore could not be cleared by the applicant. The board closed the public hearing, heard no public opposition, and voted to recommend approval; the board also recorded a motion to recuse Planning Board member Jake Patrick from the item during its consideration. The board’s recommendation will be considered by the Board of Commissioners at its Sept. 2, 2025 meeting. This action is a recommendation only; final approval, including site‑plan review and any encroachment approvals, remains with the Board of Commissioners and county engineering staff.
