The tentacles

of state government control on zoning issues are slowly creeping into

Coweta County.

The County

Commission Tuesday night approved an amendment to the zoning ordinance

that holds off local decision on some zoning issues until feedback is

received from the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the Chattahoochee-Flint

Regional Development Center.

The agencies

would have a say in Developments of Regional Impact, said county planner

Robert Tolleson.

In order to

be considered a DRI, Tolleson said a commercial project would have to

be more than 500,000 sq.ft. and a residential development would have more

than 500 lots.

The trigger

for the state's review of an industrial project would be more than 2,000

workers on 500 acres, Tolleson added.

Commission

chairman Jim McGuffey said this was only the beginning of the process.

"I think

this is the start of a long process in dealing with GRTA," he said.

Other municipalities

in the county have already fallen under the jurisdiction of GRTA's approval.

A planned regional mall located in Newnan is currently being reviewed

Tolleson said

the county would make its decisions on the large projects after GRTA and

Chatt.-Flint finish their review.