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Gordon County approves several rezones, denies poultry-house expansion after residents object
Summary
The commission approved multiple rezoning requests — including a manufactured-housing lot split and a commercial corner for a convenience store — and denied a rezoning that would have added more poultry houses after extended resident testimony about odor, safety and traffic.
The Gordon County Board of Commissioners approved several rezoning requests at its Aug. 20 meeting and denied one application after extended public comment.
Chair Oren read into the record multiple planning items. Application Z-24-19 (rezoning from Agricultural A-1 to Manufactured Housing R-6 for a parcel of 3703 Highway 411 NE, Gordon County tax parcel 113-006) came to the board with a Planning Department recommendation for approval subject to environmental health requirements and a 5–0 Planning Commission vote; no one signed up to speak and the board approved the rezoning on roll-call.
Application Z-24-20, a request to allow a conditional use at 922 Riverview Road SW in Plainville (parcel 017-201) for a special-events venue, produced the most public back-and-forth. Neighbors raised traffic, noise and driveway concerns; county staff noted outstanding departmental review comments including septic and fire-hydrant/backflow requirements. Applicant representatives said they were in discussions with the building and fire officials about occupancy and possible sprinkler exemptions, and that event contracts would limit loud music after 11 p.m. Commissioners approved the conditional use with the standard permitting and departmental conditions noted in the staff report.
The board also approved Z-24-22 (rezoning to Residential-Agricultural RA-1 for a 3.63-acre lot split at 3703 Highway 411 NE) following staff comments that the parcel size fell below the A-1 threshold and that environmental health and driveway alignment easements would be addressed.
Application Z-24-23 — the contested poultry-house project — drew sustained resident opposition. Multiple residents, including Ben Worley and a speaker identified in the record as Niskey Huntsville, testified about narrow roads, repeated near-misses with feed trucks, strong odors and local density of poultry houses (witnesses cited figures such as 54 houses within a half-mile and roughly 106 within two miles). Worley and other neighbors asked the board to deny further poultry-house density on safety and public-health grounds. Departmental reviewers and commissioners discussed measurement-for-variance issues (property-line vs. structure distance) and traffic-safety concerns. After discussion a commissioner moved to deny the application; the motion was seconded and the roll-call vote carried, denying Z-24-23.
Later in the meeting the board considered Z-24-25, a rezoning to General Commercial at the intersection of Newtown Church Road and Highway 225 East. John Robbins, the applicant representative, said his client intended to develop a convenience store and gas station. Staff flagged coordination needs with GDOT and local water utilities and noted the site falls within the new overlay district that imposes additional design and sign requirements. Commissioners approved the rezoning while noting that final development would have to comply with overlay and utility requirements and that GDOT/right-of-way or future roundabout work could affect layout and driveway access.
Each approval was recorded by roll call or voice vote as indicated in the planning staff packet and on the meeting record. Where departmental reviews required conditions (environmental health clearance, fire-safety and driveway permits), commissioners specified those conditions would be enforced before final permits were issued.
The commission closed the public hearings and moved on to other business.
