Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Circle K topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Milledgeville council upholds Planning & Zoning denial of proposed Circle K at 2345 North Columbia
Summary
After a public hearing with dozens of public speakers, the Milledgeville City Council voted to accept the Planning & Zoning Commission’s 4–1 recommendation to deny a special-use permit for a Circle K convenience store and gas station at 2345 North Columbia Street, citing persistent resident safety and traffic concerns.
The Milledgeville City Council on a 4–1 roll call accepted the Planning & Zoning Commission’s advisory findings and denied a special-use permit for a proposed Circle K convenience store and gas station at 2345 North Columbia Street.
The council’s vote formalized the commission’s November recommendation. Planning staff Sandra Witherspoon told the council that the Planning & Zoning Commission had “at a vote of 4 to 1 … denied the request for the special use,” pointing to neighborhood traffic and safety concerns as its principal rationale.
Donnie Olson, attorney for the applicant, told the council the project had been designed to reduce existing curb cuts and limit conflict points, saying the proposal “makes that intersection better” by consolidating access and adding a turn-storage lane on Dunlap Road. Lindsey King, a senior director at Roseview, the property owner, described the 1.78-acre site as a large, signalized corner and said the developer’s concept included a 50-foot landscape buffer and closing redundant curb cuts.
Several residents urged denial during the public hearing. Suzanne Johnson Quinn, a longtime Milledgeville resident, criticized the site as unsafe and asked the council to “put the lives of these citizens above money.” Judy Laxon Greer and others emphasized heavy congestion at the Dunlap/Highway 441 intersection, questioned fuel-tanker access, and said existing backups make left-turn maneuvers particularly hazardous.
Council debate focused on whether the specific site plan and the traffic study addressed the neighborhood’s concerns. The clerk clarified voting semantics before the roll call: a “yes” vote would accept the Planning & Zoning Commission’s findings (to deny) and a “no” would approve the special use. The roll call produced four yes votes to one no, carrying the motion to deny the special-use request.
The denial means the applicant’s requested modification to the land-development code for a convenience store and gas station at 2345 North Columbia Street will not proceed as proposed. Council members and staff did not announce any immediate next steps for the applicant during the meeting.
