Oconee Planning Commission recommends approval of five rezoning requests to the Board of Commissioners

The Oconee County Planning Commission on July 21 recommended approval of five rezoning requests and forwarded them to the Oconee County Board of Commissioners for final action.

The commission voted on applications ranging from a proposed conversion of an existing convenience-store site to a restaurant and fueling station to multiple requests to change agricultural (AG) and agricultural-residential (AR) zoning for small parcels and minor subdivisions. Planning staff presented each case and recommended conditional approval; commissioners moved and approved each recommendation and closed public comment before voting.

Planning staffer Herring introduced the first case, P240165, identifying the applicant and owner as Saks Bishop LLC and describing the request as a rezone from AG to B-2 that includes a recorded plat and concept plan showing revisions to an existing convenience-store fuel station. Herring summarized staff’s conditions, which included relocating signs currently in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy, prohibiting on-site auto repair, removing vehicles stored on-site from an adjacent auto repair business prior to site-development-plan issuance, visually screening service areas and dumpsters behind a six-foot masonry wall with matching facade materials, and installing landscaping to meet Article 8 (landscaping and buffers) requirements.

Lee Anderson, identified himself as project manager for Welcome Foods and said the operator plans to expand the septic system, add parking and construct a retention pond while eventually connecting to city water. Reginald Creighton, a civil engineer with Southeast Engineering Resources, and Amin Shagani, who said he works with Welcome Foods, also spoke in support. After questions from commissioners about on-site vehicle storage and hours of operation, a commissioner moved to approve P240165 with staff conditions; the commission approved the motion and voted to forward the recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.

The commission then considered P240235, an application filed by Alexander and Sadie Ginn to rezone roughly 6.22 acres from AR to AG while leaving a two-acre frontage parcel as AR. Alex Ginn told the commission the change was requested to facilitate a corner sale and to clean up prior lot splits and accessory-structure nonconformities; staff recommended conditional approval and the commission voted to forward the recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.

Two separate I(C/Icy) Forest LLC applications, P250075 (Parcel D02029, approx. 197.12 acres) and P250076 (Parcel D02025H, approx. 6.56 acres), each requested rezoning from AR to AG and asked that conditions from a prior AR zoning (case 5490) be modified or deleted. Staff presented recorded plats and concept plans and recommended conditional approval of both. No members of the public were present to comment on those items; commissioners moved, seconded and approved both recommendations and forwarded them to the Board of Commissioners.

Finally the commission considered P250110, an application by Gerardo Orocho to rezone 11.23 acres from AG to AR for a proposed five‑lot minor subdivision. Frank Pittman, representing the property owner, said the request would split existing lots to allow family members to build homes; he noted soils testing had been done and that an on-site pond may determine whether the parcel becomes four or five lots. Staff recommended approval with standard conditions; commissioners voted to forward the recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.

Votes at a glance - P240165 (Saks Bishop LLC) — Request: AG to B-2 for redevelopment of existing convenience store/fuel station including a restaurant operator. Action: Planning Commission recommended approval with staff conditions; forwarded to Board of Commissioners. Motion: moved by Commissioner Matt; second: not specified; outcome: recommended approval. - P240235 (Alexander and Sadie Ginn) — Request: rezone approx. 6.22 acres from AR to AG, leave 2 acres AR at road frontage. Action: recommended approval with staff condition that new driveways require public works director approval; forwarded to Board of Commissioners. Motion: moved by Commissioner Nathan; second: Commissioner James; outcome: recommended approval. - P250075 (IC Forest LLC, Parcel D02029) — Request: AR to AG and deletion/modification of conditions from prior AR case 5490. Action: recommended approval with staff condition; forwarded to Board of Commissioners. Motion: moved by Commissioner Obi; second: not specified; outcome: recommended approval. - P250076 (Icy/IC Forest LLC, Parcel D02025H) — Request: AR to AG and deletion/modification of conditions from prior AR case 5490. Action: recommended approval with staff condition; forwarded to Board of Commissioners. Motion/second: not specified; outcome: recommended approval. - P250110 (Gerardo Orocho) — Request: AG to AR for five-lot minor subdivision (11.23 acres). Action: recommended approval with standard staff conditions; forwarded to Board of Commissioners. Motion: not specified; second: Commissioner Matt; outcome: recommended approval.

What commissioners and staff said - Herring (planning staff) summarized staff recommendations and item-specific conditions, repeatedly citing landscaping and buffer requirements under Article 8 and noting that any new driveway locations require public works director approval where applicable. - Lee Anderson, project manager for Welcome Foods, described planned work at the convenience-store site: “we're gonna make the septic bigger. We're gonna put in more parking,” and said the operator initially planned breakfast and lunch service with possible evening hours later. - Alex Ginn said his rezoning request was prompted by a neighbor’s request to buy a corner parcel and by prior lot splits: “...we were requested to try to clean some of that up in the process.” - Frank Pittman, representing the Orocho property, said soils testing had been completed and that an on-site pond could determine whether the subdivision yields four or five lots.

Procedure and next steps All items the commission recommended will be placed on the Oconee County Board of Commissioners agenda for final action. The Planning Commission record shows public comment was limited (a handful of supporters for the Welcome Foods proposal and no public commenters for several cases). The commission’s recommendations include site-specific conditions that staff said must be satisfied before issuance of site-development permits or occupancy certificates.

Editor's note: The Planning Commission is a recommending body; final zoning changes require action by the Oconee County Board of Commissioners.