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Rockdale County adopts tougher rules for gas stations, board amends spacing to 4 miles
Summary
Rockdale County commissioners adopted a Unified Development Ordinance amendment adding standards for gasoline stations and convenience stores and amended the distance requirement to 4 miles between stations; staff had proposed detailed setbacks, lot‑size and safety rules.
The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners on April 8 approved a second‑reading amendment to the county's Unified Development Ordinance that defines and regulates gasoline service stations and gasoline stations with convenience stores, and the board amended staff's proposal to require a 4‑mile separation between new stations.
The change, presented by Planning Director Gardner, adds a definition for gasoline stations and a list of development standards that cover locations near residences, minimum frontage and lot size, setbacks for pumps and canopies, paving and circulation standards, limits on the kinds of vehicle repair allowed, and controls on above‑ground fuel storage. Gardner read the draft standards aloud and cited minimum setbacks, curb‑line width limits and buffer distances for public assembly sites such as churches, hospitals and schools. "Gasoline service stations shall be located in those districts set forth in the Rockdale County Unified Development Code," Gardner said while summarizing proposed dimensional and separation requirements.
Commissioners debated whether the proposed minimum separation between stations should be increased. Planning staff recommended mirroring the small‑box retail standard, which would set a 4‑mile distance; a commissioner moved to adopt the ordinance as amended to include the 4‑mile distance and the motion was seconded. The chair then called the vote; the motion carried and one commissioner announced an abstention during the roll call.
Why it matters: the amendment changes where and how gas stations may locate in Rockdale County, adding new site‑planning standards and spacing rules intended to limit clustering of fuel retailers and to protect residential areas and places of public assembly.
What changed: staff's presented standards included explicit setbacks for pumps and canopies, minimum frontage and lot size requirements, and a separation provision measured from lot lines; the board replaced staff's cited spacing with a 4‑mile distance between locations as part of the board's motion to adopt. The ordinance was approved on second reading as amended, and will be applied as part of the county's ongoing Unified Development Ordinance update process.
Next steps: the ordinance was adopted on second reading with the amendment; any future questions about specific parcels or permitted districts will be addressed through the county's development review and permitting processes.
