Elbert County commissioners debate EDZ radius, permitted uses and parcel treatment

Elbert County commissioners and staff spent a planning session reviewing proposed changes to the county’s Eligible Development Zone (EDZ), including how large overlay radii should be, which uses to permit and whether parcels that only partly touch an EDZ should be treated as wholly within it.

Commissioner Schroeder urged caution on central EDZ decisions, saying the board should finalize the land-use map and seek input from the steering committee and the planning commission before adopting major changes. "Before we make any decisions, I would definitely wait until we determine the land use map," Schroeder said.

The session centered on how to draw and size EDZ overlays along major corridors such as Interstate 70 and Highway 24. Commissioners discussed one-mile circles shown on draft maps, a more permissive 2.5-mile radius used elsewhere, and compromise widths of about 1.5–2 miles. Commissioner Buck warned a larger, 2.5-mile radius could reach residential neighborhoods outside town limits and expose homeowners to industrial or manufacturing uses without their participation in town meetings. "My concern would be residential out a little bit outside of the town limits ... and all of a sudden they have some industrial use or manufacturing next door," Buck said.

Several commissioners and staff argued for keeping some lower-barrier uses in the EDZ to attract activity. Commissioner Schroeder pointed to examples in nearby towns and said that RV and boat storage can be an easy, early business to attract traffic that supports gas stations and other retail. "RV and boat storage ... is an easy start for somebody but it could have a good benefit," Schroeder said, adding he asked staff to include schools, colleges and universities in the list of potential EDZ uses because a satellite campus could be an economic draw.

At the same time, commissioners discussed removing bars, lounges and liquor stores from the EDZ permitted-use list, saying the community impacts could outweigh potential benefits. Multiple speakers supported clarifying which uses should appear in red (needing further discussion) versus which uses could remain in the default EDZ allowances.

The board also considered creating or reshaping an EDZ near the county line where Highway 24 and I-70 meet. Options included a half-circle overlay at the county line, connecting separate circles to form a continuous band along I-70 and the railroad, or replacing circular overlays with elongated corridor-shaped overlays parallel to the highway and rails. Mr. Book and others noted the current EDZ yellow overlay appears roughly a mile wide and suggested narrowing or widening strategically; staff agreed to prepare maps showing multiple radii (1 mile, 1.5 miles, 2 miles and 2.5 miles) for comparison.

A recurring technical issue was how to treat parcels that straddle the EDZ line. Staff said county regulations do not explicitly resolve whether a parcel that touches the EDZ may use EDZ allowances across the entire parcel; staff reported an informal practice has been to allow the whole parcel to use EDZ allowances if it is contiguous with the EDZ. Commissioners asked staff to put the parcel policy and options in writing so applicants and staff have clear expectations going forward.

No formal vote was recorded during the discussion. Commissioners directed staff to produce comparative maps with multiple radius options and parcel overlays and to draft regulatory language clarifying how split parcels will be treated under the EDZ. The board indicated it will resume discussion after receiving those materials and any steering-committee or planning-commission input.