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Oconee commissioners decline rezoning near Bell Road after dozen residents oppose CK Capital plan
Summary
The board voted to reject a rezoning request from CK Capital LLC after strong neighborhood opposition over buffers, noise, light, traffic and stormwater; the developer had offered a 50-foot buffer and an eight-foot opaque fence but residents said that was insufficient.
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners voted July 8 to deny rezoning request P25-0079 from CK Capital LLC after multiple residents described traffic, noise, light and stormwater concerns and urged the board to preserve the area as residential.
County staff presented the petition as a rezoning request for property in the Marsh Hill/Bell Road area; staff recommended conditional approval subject to standard conditions and site-specific requirements including a traffic impact statement and materials standards. The planning commission had also recommended approval with an added condition requiring a 50-foot buffer and an 8-foot privacy fence along Bell Road adjacent to R-1 properties.
Frank Pittman, the applicant’s representative, said the site would include up to nine lots with a mix of OIP and OBP zoning, that water and sewer are available, and that the applicant was willing to provide an increased 50-foot buffer and an eight-foot opaque fence along the subdivision edge. The applicant said the development would have an estimated build-out value in the “$2.5 to $30 million” range as shown on the concept plan and that on-site stormwater would be toward the opposite side of the property from the subdivision.
Dozens of residents who live behind or adjacent to the site opposed the rezoning at the hearing. Concerns included increased traffic into and out of Bell Road (noting an existing queue at Downs Preschool during drop-off), loss of tree cover and wildlife, heat and light from parking and security lighting, potential for dumpsters and late-night activity, and increased runoff into low-lying backyards. Charles Jones, a resident and local realtor, cited the project’s projected 704 daily trips and warned of safety risks during school-hour traffic. Some residents asked for larger buffers — as much as 100 feet — and placement of parking and dumpsters away from the residential edge.
Pittman and the property owner said they were willing to add screening, move dumpsters, and plant evergreen buffers or berms and that the concept plan limits certain uses along the residential edge (OIP rather than OBP). He also clarified that “gravel storage” on the concept plan was intended as a gravel parking surface for equipment, not retail sales of gravel.
After public comment and a commissioner Q&A on traffic stacking, buffering, and whether deputies currently control traffic at Downs Preschool, Commissioner Aaron moved to decline the rezoning request P25-0079. A second was recorded and the motion carried by voice vote; commissioners did not take a roll-call tally on the record. The motion’s passage means the requested zoning change was denied at this meeting.
Why it matters: the decision preserves the property’s existing zoning for now and reflects commissioners’ responsiveness to concentrated neighborhood opposition on traffic, buffer depth and nighttime impacts. The applicant and neighbors were encouraged to continue discussions; the developer said at the hearing they were open to additional measures if the project is revisited.
