Statesboro’s City Council approved two rezoning petitions from Southeastern Property Acquisitions on a motion that added a condition to preserve residential buffering along Whispering Pines.

Council member Barr, serving as mayor pro tem, presented applications RZ251007 (about 23.15 acres at 6850 Cypress West Road, parcel MS3300023002) and RZ251008 (about 5.22 acres at 7406 Veterans Memorial Parkway, parcel 42000448000) to change zoning from R-3 (medium‑density residential) to MX (mixed use). Barr said the council had held a hearing two weeks earlier and resumed deliberations to decide whether to permit mixed use on the tracts.

Residents and council members pressed developers about lighting, tree buffers and whether the approved zoning would permit commercial uses to directly abut single‑family yards. An unidentified council member who spoke during deliberations said, "We need trees, lots of trees... I want them to still look that way," calling for measures to reduce light and noise impacts on Whispering Pines neighbors. Developer Chris Descent responded that the MX district already includes lighting restrictions in the zoning ordinance and that the development team has experience working near neighborhoods.

City staff explained a UDC tool the council could apply: the mixed‑use concurrency requirement (section 2.2.0.12f), which caps commercial acreage by requiring a minimum share of residential development in an MX area. Staff said applying that requirement as a condition would ensure the abutting area retains residential use and serves as a buffer.

Council members asked for the requirement to be tied to the property in a way that would prevent immediate commercial development against Whispering Pines. A motion to approve the rezonings with the additional condition that the Whispering Pines‑adjacent area follow the UDC mixed‑use concurrency rule (effectively making that portion an MX conditional use, MXCU) was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.

The council returned the gavel to the mayor after the vote. The developers indicated they would accept a condition that preserved residential uses in the abutting area while seeking flexibility on exact unit counts and site layout as soils and engineering work proceed.

What happens next: Engineering, soil testing and the technical traffic and infrastructure reviews will proceed during site‑plan and permitting phases; staff will apply the concurrency condition when drafting the ordinance to implement the council’s approval.