Oconee County commissioners approve rezones, variances and special-use modifications

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners voted on July 7 to approve several land-use items presented by planning staff, including rezones, a special-use modification and variances.

Rezone and variance for AAC Land Partners (P26-0115 and P26-0116): Planning staff described a request for a modification to an existing rezone on 14.355 acres at 1660 Plaza Parkway to allow medical offices in lieu of a proposed hotel, increase the number of buildings from three to four, and raise the maximum permitted square footage to 113,620. Staff also presented a variance to reduce the minimum required off-street parking from 471 spaces to 441 and to allow parking spaces to exceed the standard maximum distance from buildings; staff and the planning commission recommended conditional approval. Justin Greer, agent for the applicant, explained the proposal would use shared parking agreements between the sports health club and medical office uses. A commissioner moved and the board approved the rezone and the variance with the recommended conditions.

Front Row Properties rezone (P26-0117): The board approved a modification to a prior 2017 rezone on parcels at 2053 Experiment Station Road to remove "neighborhood-scale church" from a list of disallowed uses and to update parking calculations for the proposed mix of uses. Staff outlined nine conditions, including a total building-square-footage cap and lighting orientation requirements; the applicant said shared parking makes the proposed church compatible with the office park. The motion to approve carried.

Grace Fellowship Church special-use modification (P26-0118): Planning staff described a request to modify a prior special-use permit for Grace Fellowship Church of God (1150 Malcolm Bridge Road), including removal of a required perimeter fence in favor of a dense evergreen buffer, retention of an existing 3,725-square-foot residential structure for church use, and minor plan adjustments. The applicant's agent presented letters from adjacent property owners supporting the fence waiver. The board approved the special-use modification with conditions that include landscaping and required right-of-way improvements be completed before certificates of occupancy for expansions.

Patterson variance (P25-0300): Chip and Eleanor Patterson requested a variance to reduce the rear setback for an accessory private recreational facility from 40 feet to 15.6 feet for a proposed sports court at 2759 Allegheny Lane; the applicants said the location preserves trees and avoids septic areas. Commissioners identified a conflict between application text and a suggested condition regarding lighting; the board reworded condition 4 to prohibit exterior lighting and approved the variance with five conditions, including an as-built/final inspection requirement.

In each case the board moved, seconded and the chair declared the motions carried; recorded roll-call tallies for individual commissioners were not read into the transcript at the time of the votes.