Carroll County approves conditional use to place bulk propane tank on Highway 27

Carroll County commissioners on May 5 approved a conditional-use rezoning to allow a one-acre bulk propane storage tank at 2904 South Highway 27 (tax parcel 92-0126), voting 7-0 to grant application Z260401.

The board heard from Community Development Director Ben Skipper, who described the request as a rezoning and conditional use to convert one acre from agricultural to industrial to allow bulk propane storage; the Planning Commission had recommended approval 5-0 with two stipulations: the use be limited to the currently proposed purpose and a recorded easement be established for access.

The applicant, Sam Duke, told commissioners the one-acre parcel will be leased by Thompson Gas to supply propane to poultry and other farmers in the county. "We're going to go four times the minimum required distance from the road," Duke said, noting the company will exceed setback requirements, install a privacy fence and use the existing driveway and gate. He added the business hours would be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and that nighttime activity is not planned.

Supporters framed the project as rural infrastructure. "Propane is incredibly important to our farming community," said Dee Perry of the Georgia Agricultural Land Trust, urging the board to support additional propane infrastructure for the county's south end.

Opponents raised safety, health and aesthetic concerns. Neighbor Sybil Rogers, who lives near the proposed site, said she feared fumes, truck noise and the visual impact next to a historic beautification corridor and a nearby nursing home. "I just don't want to see this ... destroy our beautification in that area," Rogers said, citing local memories of a past tank fire.

Thompson Gas safety manager Johnny Sims responded to safety questions by describing industry safeguards and a decades-long safety record: "Propane is non-toxic. It is a simple asphyxiant in a confined space," he said, while acknowledging the product is flammable and that industry practices focus on leak control and redundant fail-safes.

Commissioners clarified conditions: the board will limit approval to the current proposed use and require a recorded easement for access; the applicant agreed to include the easement in the lease. The applicant also offered a 50-foot side setback and stated the nearest dwelling would be roughly 250 feet from the tank. After commissioners confirmed those stipulations, a motion to approve carried 7-0.

What happens next: the conditional-use approval binds the one-acre tract to the approved propane-storage use; any change of use or expansion outside the parameters would require the applicant to return to the Board of Commissioners.

Details recorded at the meeting: application Z260401; applicant Cottage Lane Properties LLC; lessee Thompson Gas; parcel 92-0126; Planning Commission recommendation 5-0; board approval 7-0 with stipulations including use limitation, recorded access easement and at least a 50-ft side setback.