Augusta BZA postpones Atlanta Gas Light floodplain fill request while staff seeks federal/state review

The Augusta Board of Zoning Appeals on Feb. 17 voted to postpone a petition by Atlanta Gas Light Company to place 10 cubic yards of fill in the special flood hazard area at 1605 Doug Barnard Parkway.

The company’s representative, Robert Dunn, told the board the project is an equipment and pad upgrade at an existing tap station and that “a net volume of 10 cubic yards of outside fill is necessary to complete this project and to protect equipment at the existing tie in location.” Staff initially recommended denial because the Augusta Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance disallows outside fill in the special flood hazard area, but planning staff said federal regulation (44 CFR 60) may allow an area-variance pathway for a public utility and asked for 30 days to coordinate with the state.

The board’s discussion focused on whether the small volume of fill (three inches of stone over three inches of graded aggregate base, a six‑inch rise totaling about 10 cubic yards) could be mitigated without raising base flood elevations and whether compensatory cut-and-haul measures or alternative grading outside the floodplain should be required. Board member Bringer asked whether the company would “be willing to remove fill from another portion of the floodplain to compensate for this additional fill.” Dunn said his engineer would “certainly consider” cut-and-haul but that the company’s preference was to haul material offsite rather than move material within the floodplain.

Planning staff told the board it would research the federal regulations and consult the state floodplain authority and return a formal recommendation and, if appropriate, draft conditions that reflect 44 CFR 60. The board then voted to postpone the item to the March meeting to allow staff to complete that review and present recommended conditions.

Action: the board postponed consideration to the March meeting so staff could consult state and federal floodplain rules and draft recommended conditions. No final approval or denial was recorded at this meeting.

Background: The property at 1605 Doug Barnard Parkway is a 2.45‑acre laydown/maintenance yard used by Atlanta Gas Light. Staff said the site improvements are intended to update infrastructure that has not been significantly upgraded since the early 1990s and that project constraints place some equipment inside the mapped floodplain.

The board’s postponement does not authorize the work; if staff’s subsequent review still recommends denial the applicant would not be able to proceed without future approval from the BZA or other permitting channels.

Ending: Planning staff committed to contact the applicant directly and to supply the board, applicant and the state floodplain authority with a written recommendation before the March meeting.