Fayette

Baptist Church leaders aren't sure what the next

step is now that the Fayette County Commission

has denied a rezoning request to allow their

building project on Seay Road.

new home for Fayette Baptist would have been the

fourth church in the immediate vicinity, but the

commission has denied the church's rezoning

request for 5.2 acres that would have been part

of a larger parcel for a new church and school

facilities.

The

church had asked that the land's zoning be

changed from R-40, a subdivision category, to

A-R, agricultural-residential.

The

denial "has certainly put a monkey wrench in

what we're trying to do," said church pastor

Larry Spencer.

What

the church is trying to do, he told commissioners

last week, is enlarge and improve its ministry.

The

proposed new site would provide plenty of space

for the church, the school and athletic fields,

he said.

The

church was established in 1972, and the school

operation was added in 1974. Its current

facilities are on Longview Road, off Kenwood Road

north of Fayetteville.

In

answer to a question from commissioners, Spencer

wasn't sure whether the church would have enough

property to build on without the 5.2 acres. The

land was to have been added to a larger tract

that is already zoned A-R. Either zoning would

allow a church, but in order to make a single

building site out of the properties, both would

have to have the same zoning.

Residents

who live near the site said they didn't object to

a church being built there, but Fayette Baptist's

plan for a church school with current enrollment

of 344 would be too much for roads in the area to

handle, said Robert McElroy.

Commissioner

Linda Wells agreed. "I think the impact is

just going to be too burdensome on the

community," she said.

Spencer

argued that the school is simply a ministry of

the church to its community, but McElroy said

that with an average attendance of 70 in church

and a student body of 344 at the school, the

church is actually incidental to the school, not

the other way around.

The

proposed site is near the intersection of Seay

Road with Harp Road, which also is a stone's

throw from the Antioch Road/Ga. Highway 92

intersection, an already congested confluence of

roads, said Commissioner Greg Dunn.

Commissioner

Herb Frady voted against the motion to deny the

church's request, saying, "I support the

church, and I support the schools, and I think we

need more of them."

Spencer

said this week the church is seeking advice about

how to proceed.

In

other zoning action last week, the commission:

Approved James and

Abner Oakley's request for rezoning to allow two

home sites on 4.2 acres on New Hope Circle.

Approved Julie and

Danny Beck's request for a change in their home's

conditional zoning to allow for a pool. The home

is on Olde Oak Drive.

The

land is zoned for one-acre lots, but a required

80-foot buffer with adjoining five-acre lots made

building a pool impossible. .

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