Planning board recommends denying two heavy‑industrial rezonings after residents cite truck traffic and safety concerns

The Effingham County Planning Board on April 14 recommended denial of two requests to rezone commercial parcels to heavy industrial zoning after residents and a neighboring business described repeated truck congestion, roadside unloading and public‑safety and environmental concerns.

The board voted to recommend denial of rezoning requests for properties on Commerce Court and Commerce Drive that would have changed B‑3 (major commercial) parcels to H‑I (heavy industrial). Commissioners, citing frequent complaints about trucks parked or unloading in the public right‑of‑way and the parcels’ limited widths, said the change could intensify traffic and make buffer requirements impractical.

Why it mattered: Neighbors and business owners described trucks lining Commerce Drive and Commerce Court — blocking driveways and creating dangerous conditions for families and children at a nearby gymnastics business. “Trucks are lining up and down the roadway, blocking our business entrance…causing an unsafe area for our families to come in and out with their children,” said Dina Moore, owner of Dino's Planet Gymnastics, who opposed the rezonings. Other speakers described damaged pavement and vehicles unloaded or stored outside fenced areas.

Applicant response: Representatives for the vehicle‑storage operators said they have taken steps to reduce problems, including 24/7 cameras, two gated driveways, staff training and policies to require on‑site unloading. One operator said forklifts and staff are instructed not to operate outside the property and offered appointment windows and no‑unloading‑after‑4 p.m. policies to limit overlap with peak family traffic. “We have cameras 24/7 to keep a very, very clean record of what's going on in our entry gate,” the operator said, adding that much of the backlog is seasonal and that the businesses are common carriers.

Board and staff questions focused on runoff and wetlands, buffer distances and enforcement. Staff confirmed wetlands are present on portions of the sites and that any disturbance would require state and federal permitting. Commissioners noted county code requires a 150‑foot buffer between industrial zoning and adjacent commercial property in some configurations and said that several of the parcels are too narrow to meet that requirement without variances.

The votes: For both rezoning requests the board voted to deny the change to heavy industrial zoning. Each denial will be forwarded as a recommendation to the county Board of Commissioners at its May meeting; the planning board’s vote is advisory.

What happens next: Applicants may apply for variances or pursue conditional‑use permits if approved by the Board of Commissioners. The planning board urged applicants and concerned neighbors to appear at the county Board of Commissioners’ May hearing.

The meeting also included two unrelated rezoning approvals and routine business; the planning board adjourned after completing its agenda.