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Planning board recommends B-2 rezoning at Old Tusculum and Highway 21 for 10,640 sq ft retail (Dollar General)
Summary
The board recommended approval of a request to rezone two acres from AR‑1 to B‑2 for a 10,640‑square‑foot retail building (developer indicated a Dollar General tenant). Staff required site-plan approval and an encroachment permit under the county access policy; the board voted 4–1 to recommend approval.
The Effingham County Planning Board recommended rezoning roughly 2 acres at the intersection of Old Tusculum and Highway 21 from AR-1 to B-2 (general commercial) to allow a 10,640‑square‑foot retail building, with the applicant and developer saying the planned tenant is a Dollar General.
Planning staff told the board the parcel is in the agricultural/residential future land-use area, and staff recommended approval subject to conditions: a site plan approval by the Board of Commissioners and adherence to the county’s access-management policy and encroachment-permit requirements for Old Tusculum. The applicant’s representative, Josh Yellen of Terramor, said the corner is signalized and both Old Tusculum and Highway 21 are designated truck routes, and he said the site has already been cleared. The owner, Carrie Graham, said she supports the project.
A nearby resident asked how the remainder of the 36‑acre tract will be used; the developer said there were no current plans for the remaining acreage and that the 2‑acre parcel would be subdivided out and recorded as a separate lot. Several board members discussed potential spot‑zoning concerns because the parcel is not identified as a commercial node on the county future land‑use map, but the board ultimately voted 4–1 in favor of recommending the B‑2 rezoning. The item will go to the Board of Commissioners for a final vote on Nov. 4.
