The Fayette County Board of Commissioners ruled last week on a rare rezoning request – one of its own.
A public hearing was conducted at the Jan. 26 regular meeting to consider rezoning of 0.237 acres of county-owned property fronting on Veterans Parkway. The zoning change is so the land can be traded with an adjacent landowner for other property needed for the West Fayetteville Bypass, according to county officials.
The West Fayetteville Bypass is a new road construction project that extends from Hwy. 54 at Lester Road to Hwy. 92 at Westbridge Road. It is a county project funded with the 2005-2010 transportation SPLOST. The project is complete except for the intersection at Hwy. 92, which is scheduled for construction in spring 2017.
To accommodate construction, several parcels of land were required for roadway right-of-way or easements. One of the parcels, owned by Fayette County, is being bisected by the roadway. Its original area was 3.044 acres. After right-of-way dedication for roadway there is a 2.075-acre property to the northwest of the road and a 0.237-acre remnant to the southeast.
The 0.237 acre parcel was zoned C-H and surrounded by a R-70 zoned parcel. This application is to rezone the remnant parcel from C-H to R-70 so it is consistent with surrounding parcel. The board approved the plan unanimously.
The only other public hearing at that meeting was consideration of public works director Phil Mallon’s determination on the proposed abandonment of a portion of McBride Road, estimated at $11,035. Mallon said the area no longer serves a public purpose and removing it from the county road system would be in the best public interest since it wold reduce liability and maintenance responsibilities for the county.
County Attorney Dennis Davenport stated that this action was appropriate in part because of the value of the property, pointing out that a “different set of rules” exists for property valued above $30,000. The proposal was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Steve Brown casting the lone dissenting vote. Brown said he was in favor of putting the property on the market to determine if it is worth more and if there is any interest in someone purchasing it.
In other business, the meeting’s consent agenda included a $41,540 software contract, ratification of Fayetteville’s appointment of Dr. Regina M. Daigre to the county’s library board, concept approval for the Public Arts Committee’s plan for two projects, the addition of Elysian Fields subdivision to the street light program, and a Water Committee recommendation to close Lake McIntosh Park for a March 18 regatta. All were approved. A staff request to establish a budget calendar for the 2018 fiscal year was approved unanimously, as was the Public Arts Committee’s request for concept approval to assist with the planning and execution of a festival in Tyrone. The board also approved the Public Arts Committee’s bylaws.
Two members of the library board, Clarence Leathers and Tony Parrott, were reappointed for new terms ending Dec. 31, 2020.
The board heard a brief review of the priority list for existing stormwater projects, although no action was taken. There was also a presentation of the results of the FY2016 annual audit, and the employees who won the county’s fourth annual Merry Door Decorating Contest during the Christmas holidays were recognized.
The Board of Commissioners meetings are broadcast live on local cable television as well as the county’s website (www.fayettecountyga.gov), where they are also archived for later viewing on demand.
