Oconee County commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday to deny a special use permit for Oconee Medical Properties on Jimmy Daniell Road due to strong opposition from Silverleaf residents. The Silverleaf subdivision lies adjacent to the property.
“I am terrified that someone will get seriously injured or killed just trying to get in and out of a neighborhood,” said Wanda Hayes, a Silverleaf resident.
The permit was a special use request for a warehouse and office space on a property zoned for agricultural purposes. The request was originally scheduled for the meeting on Feb. 3, but was postponed so they could make changes to the proposal.
The modifications included increasing the buffer from 50 feet to 100 feet along the rear boundary of the property, putting a gate at the end of the driveway, and only removing trees they deem absolutely necessary, said Gavin Griffeth and Kenneth Beall, owner of Beall & Company, a land planning, landscape architecture and site engineering company.
“We’re not a retail business,” Griffeth said during the meeting. “We’re just looking for a place to work, and store some, you know, leftover materials.”
Seven residents from Silverleaf opposed the permit, citing safety concerns, lighting and noise. Even more opposed from their seats, erupting into applause after each resident spoke against the warehouse and office space construction.
“It’s an attempt to circumvent zoning. It’s not allowed by special use permit or by right,” said Oscar Gertsch, treasurer of the Silverleaf homeowner’s association.
Others said they felt the flatbed traffic would prevent residents from being able to turn in and out of their subdivision. Some residents specifically mentioned the deceleration lane as a major concern.
“There’s maybe a foot before the decel lane starts, and I’m just not sure how a road could be planned,” said Shami Jones, a resident of Silverleaf since 2004.
Commissioners asked Guy Herring, director of code and planning enforcement for Oconee County, questions about the deceleration lane. He addressed those concerns by mentioning an extension of the lane would be required.
Herring also mentioned that the lighting would be focused “down, not out” and would not exceed one foot over the property line.
Two residents, including business owner Scott Behr, spoke during public comment in favor of the construction.
I think we could end up with something much worse,” said Behr, who said he lives right across the street from the property.
Commissioner Chuck Horton said he had never seen a property with an agricultural classification asking for this kind of special use permit, specifically calling it “an end run around the zoning.”
Beall said he checked with Herring to ensure that the special use was allowed by code.
“There have been others that have been approved in the area, and then it also met all of the zoning requirements. So, by law, it could be a special use,” said Commissioner Mark Thomas, who cast the only dissenting vote. “They really went overboard trying to mitigate the damage to the neighborhood.”
The board also unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Georgia Department of Transportation to relocate some of its existing water lines in Oconee County due to roundabout construction. The project will cost $375,805 with GDOT agreeing to reimburse 25%, approximately $93,951.
Sarabeth Lytle is a journalism major in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She wrote this story for Reporting I.
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