Commission denies rezoning for Connection Church site at 255 Smithonia Road
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Summary
After applicant presentations and neighbor objections about traffic, scale and greenbelt precedent, the commission voted to deny a request to rezone 30 acres at 255 Smithonia Road to allow construction of a new Connection Church Athens.
The Athens‑Clarke County commission voted on Dec. 2 to deny a zoning map amendment that would have changed roughly 30 acres at 255 Smithonia Road from AR (agricultural‑residential) to CR (commercial‑rural) for the construction of Connection Church Athens.
Applicant representative Chase Zesh (Armitron Matheny Thurman) told the commission the request was narrowly tailored for a single church use, limited building coverage to 13.54% on the proposed 20‑acre building tract (about 9% if the full 30‑acre parcel is counted), and required an increase in tree canopy under CR to approximately 60% — which Zesh estimated would add about 5.22 acres of plantings and roughly 143–200 new trees. Zesh said the plan included restrictive conditions so the acreage could not later be converted to other commercial uses.
Neighbors opposed the rezoning. Roger Hilton, who lives across Charlie Bolton Road, argued the change could bring “potentially up to 650 people” and hundreds of cars to the site, calling the proposal incompatible with the greenbelt and a driver of sprawl. Several neighbors and Winterville officials expressed concern that the project would set a precedent for additional commercial encroachment.
Commissioner Taylor moved to deny the rezoning; Commissioner Wright seconded. Attorney Drake read the ordinance language for the record, and the motion to deny carried on a voice vote.
Next steps: The denial preserves the existing AR zoning on the parcel. The applicant may choose to pursue alternate sites or a revised application that addresses the commission’s concerns, or pursue administrative appeals if available under county rules.
