Newton County pauses new convenience-store approvals to curb clustering

The Newton County Board of Commissioners voted Feb. 17 to enact an emergency moratorium on new convenience-store applications across unincorporated areas, citing a rapid rise in applications and community concern over retail clustering.

Shana Applewhite, director of development services, told the board staff had pulled active projects and found about 16 land-disturbance permits currently pending, with 13 submitted in the last year. She said only six of the applications are inside overlay districts and that many proposals are targeting rural crossroads and highway junctions.

Applewhite said staff will prepare a text amendment for the unified development ordinance that could add distance separation between convenience stores, restrict locating stores across from each other at junctions, and use special-use permits where appropriate. "One of the key things we're looking to include would be distance separation," she said.

Public commenters and several commissioners supported the pause. Tina McCray urged the board to consider the county’s long-term retail strategy and said residents want healthier grocery options rather than a proliferation of convenience stores. Commissioner Cooper and Commissioner Mason described high concentrations in their districts; Mason said the board wants ‘‘strategic growth’’ and not four convenience stores at every intersection.

Applewhite also confirmed the moratorium would apply to properties already zoned for convenience stores and to applications with or without fuel pumps. The measure passed by voice vote.

The moratorium temporarily halts new applications while staff drafts UDO language to manage clustering, distance separation and permitting rules. Implementation details will return to the board for formal adoption.