Bulloch commissioners approve contractor-office rezoning for Isler Road with 20% maintenance bond

Bulloch County commissioners voted unanimously to rezone about 3 acres on Isler Road from AG-5 to General Commercial and approved a conditional use permitting a contractor’s office, adding conditions intended to limit impacts on nearby residents.

The applicant’s agent, Leslie West, told the board the applicant intends to use the existing house as a small contractor office with one superintendent, possibly one additional employee, and parking “for 3 dump trucks and potentially a lowboy trailer,” operating roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Staff had recommended denial of the rezoning request, while the county Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval by a 4–1 vote.

County Engineer Ron Nelson recommended requiring a maintenance bond rather than holding a deposit, explaining the bond would provide a one-year warranty on road improvements and allow the county to place responsibility for repairs on the contractor if heavy equipment or dump truck traffic damaged the county-maintained road. Nelson said a 20% maintenance bond “would give us a one-year guarantee” and that recycled asphalt millings or graded aggregate base would meet county standards for surfacing.

After discussion about access routing and long-term land-use permanence, a commissioner moved to approve the rezoning with the conditions discussed — including a requirement for a 20% maintenance bond for one year after completion — and the motion carried unanimously. The board also approved the conditional-use permit for the same property with staff-recommended conditions including traffic egress restrictions and a prohibition on storing loose aggregate on-site.

The action permits the applicants to proceed subject to the listed conditions; the board did not vote to limit the county’s authority to revisit the zoning if future compliance or impacts require additional review.