Commissioners approve one-acre fiber-optic substation on condition owner cleans debris, adds buffers

Spalding County commissioners voted March 26 to grant a special exception for a one-acre leased pad for a fiber-optic utility substation on a larger 26-acre parcel at 755 High Falls Road, subject to cleanup and buffering conditions.

Amanda Canada, representing the landowner and the design team, said the proposal reserves a one-acre easement for a middle-mile fiber facility and that the fenced pad will remain a small corner use on the larger parcel. "MMI is obtaining a one acre easement... but we don't build one acre and any at this time," the applicant's representative explained during the hearing.

Several commissioners said they were willing to approve the accessory use only if the property owner first brought the larger parcel into conformity with county codes. A commissioner described longstanding debris and vehicle storage on the site and said the lot "has been an eyesore for more than 10 years," urging a cleanup condition. Planning staff and the applicant said cleanup and landscaping could be required as conditions of approval and that the initial pad would be modest in size with setbacks and proposed landscaping as a visual buffer.

The board approved the special exception with explicit conditions: compliance with code-enforcement cleanup of debris before further permits or disbursement of lease proceeds; directed lighting to avoid impacting adjacent homes; vegetative buffering between the fenced pad and neighboring residential parcels; and staff verification of setbacks and landscape adequacy. The vote was unanimous.

Staff noted any future expansion beyond the approved fenced acre would require separate board approval. Applicant representatives said backup generators would be located inside the fenced area but are rarely used and that landscaping and screening would be provided to minimize visibility and noise.