A local pastor appeared to practice what he preaches when he told a roomful of people that he loved each one of them after they essentially told him, not always politely, his church was not wanted in their neighborhood.
A conditional use for the construction of a church at the corner of Gray Highway and Braswell Lake Road was the first Planning and Zoning item on the agenda of the Aug. 6 Board of Commissioners meeting.
Commissioners listened to both sides of the issue and then unanimously approved the request.
Board Chairman Chris Weidner called the meeting to order. Zoning issues were first on the agenda following the prayer and pledge that were led by the chairman.
Zoning Officer Tim Pitrowski introduced the conditional use, which was needed to build the church. The property consists of 8.28 acres and is located in a residential area. The staff recommendation for the request was approval. The church attempted to build on Lite-N-Tie Road last year and previously requested to build in the same location, but this time agreed to enter and exit the church property from Gray Highway.
The pastor, Ricky Feagin, said the church building would be placed on the back of the property, and services would be held Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.
Three others spoke in favor of the church, including a deacon and two more church members. One who spoke in support is a resident of Graham Road who said he was glad to have the church in his neighborhood.
Residents of Braswell Lake Road and Pinewood Road took turns talking about the traffic the church would cause, the harm to their neighborhood and even a possible increase in crime.
Commissioner Sam Kitchens asked about a buffer around the property and type of building. Pitrowski explained the buffers and setback are required. Feagin said he was not sure the material of the building. He said it would be metal or wood, depending on material prices.
The P&Z staff report stated that with the entrance changed to Gray Highway, the only added traffic to the residential area would be the occasional person who would miss the turn into the church.
Commissioner Daylon Martin made the motion to approve the conditional use, including the stated perimeters and site plan. The motion was approved unanimously.
All commissioners were present at the meeting with the exception of Commissioner Wendy Vaughn, who attended via conference call.
The next P&Z item was also a requested conditional use. This was for an event venue that would be located off Holt Chapel Road. The venue was proposed on 20 acres in an area zoned rural residential.
Property owners Kenneth and Bernard Solomon from Stone Mountain presented the request. Bernard Solomon said the venue would be created to honor their grandparents, who had owned and lived on the property.
The staff recommended denial, citing an increase in traffic in the rural area, outdoor lighting and noise concerns. The proposal included a 5,000-squarefoot multi-use event center with maximum attendance of 250 people.
Residents and the relatives of residents spoke in opposition to the prospect of traffic, safety and noise in the rural area as well as the influx of people on a regular basis they did not know.
Rev. Wilbur Greene spoke in favor of the venue and the character of Kenneth and Bernard Solomon.
“There are not a lot of places representing African Americans. If this is too much, trim it back. The only place close like it is in Roberta,” Greene said. “This will be top class, and they will have security.”
Kitchens said the project sounded like it was more for commercial than for family, and he made the motion to deny the request. The vote to deny the petition was unanimous.
Commissioners approved a conditional use to allow metal siding on a dwelling located on James Road and denied a request to rezone property on Gray Highway from commercial to residential in order to build four single-family homes.
Kitchens said the county was committed to the area remaining part of the commercial corridor. He made the motion to deny the request, and the vote to deny was unanimous.
Visitor Daniel Spires brought an issue to the board about his property being damaged during installation of water lines. He said all he wanted was for the property to be put back the way it was. Weidner said he would personally come by to help resolve the issue.
New business
Board members welcomed Michelle Craddock and members of the Jones County Pickleball Club who talked about the growth of the sport since the pickleball courts had been installed. Their request was for more courts.
Lynn Duggar said it was phenomenal how the sport had caught on, and all ages were playing. He said the courts are filled with leagues four nights a week, which leaves nowhere for open play.
“Hats off to you for seeing the importance of the ‘no barriers’ in pickleball,” he said. “Thank you for what you did, but we need more.”
Hailey Robinson, who, in addition to being the executive director of the Gray/Jones County Chamber of Commerce, is the director of Keep Jones Beautiful. She brought the board a resolution to officially designate the Eastern Red Bud Tree as the Official Community Tree of Jones County.
Board members voted unanimously to adopt the resolution.
Commissioner John Wood spoke to the board about an issue with the permitting process for barndominiums. He said people are running into issues after buying the barndomimium kits.
Weidner said the problem is some of the kits do not have the engineering plans needed. Pitrowksi said none of the buildings come with plans unless they are required. He said the county could adjust the permit application.
The final agenda item was the selection by commissioners for the county’s voting delegate at the upcoming ACCG Legislative Leadership Conference.
Vaughn was the unanimous selection by board members.
Comments
Lashonda Whipple expressed concern about a large piece of equipment parked on the side of the road on Mountain Springs Church Road. Weidner said he felt it was parked there due to the wet weather, but he would get her an answer.
Commissioners expressed their enjoyment of citizens attending board meetings, and each stated they were looking forward to budget meetings that will begin next week.
The boards’ next scheduled business meeting is Aug. 20.
