Commission recommends approvals with conditions for Faulkner Lane mixed industrial-commercial proposal

The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval of a rezoning request for a 12.698-acre parcel on Faulkner Lane, subject to added conditions addressing traffic, buffers and site design.

Staff presented the Latimer Properties application, describing a proposal to rezone multiple parcels from AG, GC and R80 to Light Industrial and General Commercial to accommodate roughly 152,000 square feet of industrial space and 15,000 square feet of commercial space with 169 parking spaces. Staff noted comments from the Transportation Department, County Water & Sewer, the arborist and others and reported that the Cherokee County Development Authority sent a letter of support.

Melissa Castile, speaking for the applicant, emphasized that the design keeps commercial buildings at the front of the site and places industrial buildings away from the roadway; she highlighted plans for brick façades and preserved peripheral buffers. Neighbors at the hearing raised concerns about Faulkner Lane (a narrow, primarily one-lane road), protection of private water lines and the size and height of buildings proposed on the rear (north) side of the site. Ruth Ann Sims, who said her property is adjacent to the parcel, urged protection of the water line and preservation of a buffer: "Faulkner Lane is a 1 lane road ... I want my water line protected," she said.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on truck access, deceleration-lane variances and the extent of buffer disturbance. The applicant's engineer said Faulkner Lane is scheduled to be widened along the property's frontage and that the traffic study and coordination with county engineering and GDOT were in process. Commissioners then debated variances: they denied a front-setback reduction (from 75 to 50 feet) but approved other variances to eliminate an internal buffer and to allow temporary disturbance and replanting of external buffers and to remove one deceleration-lane requirement where supported by the traffic study.

Because of the narrow residential road and neighbor concerns, the commission also incorporated transportation staff recommendations (sight-distance work, right-of-way dedication for widening, and traffic-study follow-up) into its recommendation. Commissioners said the approvals included conditions intended to protect nearby residents and to require photometric and landscape plans at permitting.

The applicant accepted several staff-proposed conditions; Planning & Zoning recommended approval with that package of conditions and additional clarifications for the variance requests. Final action will be at the county commission meeting.