Commission forwards Manor Holdings OIP rezoning at Spartan Lane/US 441 after debate over traffic and drainage

The Oconee County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of rezoning case P250080 to rezone parcels near Spartan Lane and U.S. 441 from Agricultural/AR to Office/Institutional Professional (OIP). The application, filed by Manor Holdings LLC and represented by Frank Pittman of Pittman & Greer Engineering, proposes up to three medical office buildings with a combined cap of 20,000 square feet.

Planning staff recommended conditional approval with standard conditions; staff removed an earlier condition requiring an additional revised traffic study after the applicant submitted an updated study. The traffic analysis submitted for the project found the existing intersection operates at level of service D under current conditions and identified improvements — including a right slip lane off Spartan Lane and a dedicated left‑turn lane into the development — to meet the county’s preferred level of service C. Pittman said required road improvements would be made at the developer’s expense as part of site development.

Several neighbors and Athens Academy area residents spoke in opposition during public comment, citing peak‑hour congestion at the Spartan Lane/441 intersection, safety concerns for school drop‑off and pick‑up times, and questions about stormwater runoff into nearby lakes. George Young and other residents described recurring crashes and high speeds on U.S. 441; Steve Fallon provided maps and photos showing how vehicle queuing at school release times can extend back onto Spartan Lane. Mandy Simmons, who said she had been a principal at Athens Academy, recounted seeing multiple accidents at the intersection and urged caution.

Applicants and supporters said the corridor is developing and that medical office is a lower‑impact commercial use compared with alternatives. Manor Holdings partners Sean Kirk and Brad Stevens, who live nearby, told commissioners they had chosen medical offices in part because of compatibility and to influence future use positively. Pittman reiterated that the project will include stormwater controls designed to reduce runoff compared with current conditions and that sewer service is available at the site, unlike some nearby parcels.

Commissioners asked technical questions about stormwater requirements, the meaning of “condo” ownership in the application (the applicant clarified the term refers to condominium ownership of buildings on a single lot, not residential condominiums), and whether the county or GDOT would require traffic signals. Planning staff and the applicant said the Georgia Department of Transportation’s warrants control signal installation; the project’s traffic mitigation measures would improve operations at the intersection relative to current conditions.

A motion to recommend approval with the staff’s conditions passed; the case will now be scheduled for a public hearing before the Oconee County Board of Commissioners, where residents can comment again.