Commission approves Rhino Mini Storage rezoning after board swaps fence requirement for 2-foot vegetated berm

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on March 4, 2025 approved rezone request P24-0254 for Rhino Mini Storage LLC, changing a previously approved concept plan to increase the total building area to 73,800 square feet, expand the number of buildings from four to 10 and remove a previously approved assisted-living facility.

The planning staff presented the request and recommended conditional approval with standard conditions and several item-specific conditions, including that all structures be brick or stone on all sides and that a traffic-impact statement meeting CDC requirements (as amended through Feb. 3, 2025) be submitted with the site-development plan. Staff noted the applicant proposed the larger office/ storage complex and that the average daily trips (ADT) for the site were proposed to increase from 515 in the prior approval to 800 ADT under the new plan.

Justin Greer of Pittman and Greer Engineering, representing the applicant, said the site had evolved through multiple rezoning actions dating to 2006 and the applicant had received interest and tentative leases for the first three buildings. Greer told the commission that post-COVID market changes reduced demand for large assisted-living facilities and that the owner had pivoted toward office/building space: "He's had the first 3 buildings or have tentative leases, and he's had a lot of interest in more office space for the property," Greer said.

The planning commission had recommended approval with an additional condition requiring a 4-foot opaque fence along Moreland Heights Road. Commissioners questioned whether a fence or an alternative would better screen headlights from parked cars. One commissioner proposed a vegetated berm as a less intrusive alternative for nearby homeowners, and Greer said site grading suggested a small berm could fit in the available ten-foot area and that normal plant screening would be provided on top of the berm.

The motion the board approved replaced the fence requirement with a 2-foot berm plus vegetation to accomplish the intended screening. Commissioners clarified that the berm would be "of sufficient size to accomplish the intent" and the motion language was refined on the record to specify a 2-foot berm with vegetative buffer in lieu of a 4-foot fence.

What it means: The approved conditions limit the total building square footage to 73,800 and require material standards and a traffic-impact statement at the site-development stage. The change from fence to berm responds to neighbor-aesthetic concerns raised by commissioners and the applicant's explanation that most primary parking will be internal to the building group rather than directly facing Moreland Heights Road.

Remaining steps: The applicant must submit a traffic-impact statement meeting CDC requirements at the site-development plan stage, and planning staff will review the site plan for conformance with the approved conditions. The berm and planting details will be resolved in coordination with staff as part of the site-development submittal.