Pickens County panel denies rezoning for 17-acre Refuge Road property after residents object

The Pickens County Planning Commission voted 4–1 to deny a rezoning request for a 17-acre parcel at 3418 Refuge Road after staff recommended denial and multiple neighbors urged the commission to preserve the area's residential character. The application would have changed the parcel from rural residential to neighborhood commercial to allow relocation of an administrative office.

Staff cited spot-zoning concerns, incompatibility with adjacent single-family homes and a lack of demonstrated need for neighborhood commercial zoning at the site, recommending denial under Chapter 67, Section 685 of the county code. “Staff recommends denial of the proposed amendment … due to spot zoning concerns, compatibility issues with adjacent residents, and lack of demonstrated need,” the staff presentation said.

Applicant Jeff Miller said he bought the historic property to relocate his company’s administrative offices and to restore the home. Miller told the commission the intended use was low-impact: a small parking area sized for roughly 10 cars, six employees on-site and standard weekday office hours. “My intent is not what they have said. My intent is to move in and occupy this for administrative office,” Miller said.

Nancy Maddox, an attorney representing Miller, told the commission the requested neighborhood commercial designation fits the county’s suburban residential character area in the comprehensive plan and disputed the staff’s spot-zoning conclusion. Maddox also pushed back on online rumors about larger industrial uses. “There’s been a lot of misinformation … ‘Oh, it’s going to be a data center. It’s going to be a Dollar General.’ Well, none of that is allowed under the zoning that my client’s requesting,” she said.

Neighbors who spoke at the hearing urged denial, saying rezoning 17 acres would permit tree removal, new commercial buildings and increased service-vehicle traffic that would harm property values and neighborhood character. “Those trees mean the world to me,” said Kathy Langley, who said her backyard abuts the parcel. Several speakers described concerns about truck traffic and a pattern of incremental commercialization along Refuge Road.

After public comment and discussion, a commissioner moved to accept staff’s recommendation to deny the rezoning. The motion was seconded and carried on a 4–1 vote. The commission’s action denies the application for rezoning; the record does not show any immediate appeal or next step announced at the meeting.

The commission’s agenda also included four other rezoning matters that were approved earlier in the meeting, including requests to create small family lots and to site a daycare, a small campground with cabins, and a coffee shop along Highway 515.