Planning commission recommended denial for rezoning to light industrial at Highway 92 site; board will hold hearing

A rezoning request to allow a grading and landscaping business to continue operating at 4725 Highway 92 was presented Oct. 21; the county planning commission previously recommended denial.

Planning staff described the applicant — represented by Fletcher Klaw for owner Phyllis Roberts — as seeking a change from General Commercial (GC) to Light Industrial (LI) for a 1.84‑acre parcel where a grading/landscaping operation has been occurring. Staff said the matter originated as a code‑enforcement case; the use is not allowed in the current GC zoning without the LI designation because of outdoor storage and associated use conditions.

The rezoning would require several variances: reducing a side setback from 25 feet to 10.8 feet, eliminating a 30‑foot zoning buffer adjacent to GC property where none exists now, and allowing outdoor storage in configurations that otherwise require an eight‑foot privacy fence placed outside the front setback. Planning staff said the applicant provided a revised site plan that adds roughly 5,000 square feet of new tree buffer area, moves a fence back to about 30 feet and proffers a condition that no equipment or material will be stored within the 50‑foot front yard setback. The planning commission recommended denial at its prior meeting.

Staff noted the site is within the Highway 92 overlay district and the Southwest Cherokee area plan. Commissioners raised concerns about compatibility with surrounding uses — nearby properties include Victory Church, a CVS at Woodstock and Highway 92, and an RV dealer — and about whether GC is already the appropriate intensity for the site. The case will be considered at a public hearing that evening.