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Board denies Airport Road driveway for Shepherd business, tables related Oak Avenue rezoning
Summary
Spalding County commissioners voted to deny a request to create a commercial driveway on Airport Road for John Shepherd's business after neighbors cited safety and traffic concerns; the board tabled the separate Oak Avenue PDD rezoning for storage to allow the applicant to revise conditions on parking, buffers and access.
On Nov. 20 the Spalding County Board denied a proposal to create a new commercial driveway from Airport Road to serve John Shepherd’s business and tabled a related request to rezone nearby Oak Avenue parcels to a Plan Development District (PDD) for expanded storage use.
Neighbors told the board that Airport Road is a narrow residential two‑lane road, and they argued that turning tractor‑trailers and dump trucks onto a 12–15‑foot proposed driveway would be unsafe and would exacerbate existing congestion near the Ziegler Road intersection. Bridal Adams, speaking for elderly neighbors at 114 Airport Road, said the proposal would introduce large vehicle activity and noise next door to a residence.
John Shepherd, who operates at 1113 Zebulon Road, said his business has grown since acquiring adjacent parcels in 2023 and that the small Airport Road parcel at issue is largely unbuildable other than as a driveway; he argued the change would remove operational bottlenecks and be safer for his truck movements. Staff recommended conditional approval of the Airport Road driveway with six conditions including: use of the lot solely as an entrance/exit for the parent parcel, no storage or parking on the lot, 25‑foot yard setbacks, county driveway construction to standards, a required decel/accel lane, and a 25‑foot landscape buffer on both sides.
Commissioners expressed concern that the driveway could be used to facilitate external overnight truck parking, citing evidence of a public listing that appeared to market trailer parking at the address, and they questioned enforceability of restrictions. After discussion a motion to deny the Airport Road driveway application passed 5‑0.
The board then discussed the separate Oak Avenue rezoning to PDD for storage expansion. Staff clarified that if Oak Avenue parcels were rezoned, conditions could prohibit Oak Avenue as an access point and require fencing or blocking; commissioners debated whether to deny or to table the rezoning to allow the applicant to propose additional restrictions (for example, limiting the site to storage of materials rather than overnight truck parking, preserving a berm or creating a permanent buffer). The board voted to table the Oak Avenue rezoning application so the applicant could return with revised options and conditions.
Next steps: the applicant may propose revised conditions limiting truck parking and clarifying access; staff will prepare an updated report if the applicant resubmits.
