Myron Coxe

was voted in as chairman at the Jan. 28 meeting, and Kevin Bittinger was

named vice chairman. Both appointments passed unanimously.

In other business:

The commission

tabled a special exception request for Hampton Inn at Fayette Promenade

on Ga. Highway 85 north.

Stating that

the applicant had requested this move, Coxe called for a motion to table,

but Commissioner Allen Feldman said the matter should be discussed to

see if all points of concern are being addressed by the developer.

No one was

present to speak on behalf of the developer, but Feldman noted his own

concerns, specifically those regarding the operating hours as well as

the lighting and screening of the property. Three local residents also

spoke to the commission, saying that they felt this type of business should

not be in their back yard.

A motion was

made to table the issue, and it carried 4-1, with Feldman voting against.

Rezoning and

special exception requests for Flash Foods at 340 Lanier Avenue were approved.

The applicant

had worked very diligently on this project to show how the proposed new

gas station and convenience store would fit into the Main Street District,

city planner Eldridge Gunn reported, including the removal of the signs

from the elevations and adding relief on the brickwork.

There were

no public comments, and Feldman the people involved in the project for

meeting the concerns this Commission had. Coxe said that he would like

to echo Feldman's comments.

Both motions,

for the rezoning and special exception, carried unanimously.

Another rezoning

and special exception request for Flash Foods at 145 Jeff Davis Drive

was withdrawn by the applicant, Cox announced, and no further action by

the commission would be necessary.

Development

plans for the site at 485 N. Jeff Davis Drive were approved.

The applicant

proposed to move a 2,400 sq. ft. 1960s ranch house, now used as an office,

from the east side of North Jeff Davis Drive just south of the intersection

of Kathi Avenue, and relocate the structure farther north on the same

side of the street, where the existing house would be demolished, according

to city development director Jahnee Prince. The new location, a .61-acre

tract, is somewhat narrow, necessitating turning the structure to face

southward.

This is in

the Main Street Overlay District so only historic structures and buildings

that appear to be historic are to go in the Main Street District. The

Main Street Architecture Overlay District spells out building built in

styles from the 1880s to the 1920s. This was not a historic structure

so a great deal of work to the house was propoesd to retrofit it. Because

of the orientation of the building the side will be fronting on Jeff Davis

Drive, it had to be made to look like the front of a building, which was

what they have proposed.

A motion to

approve the site plan included the stipulation that staff approves the

lighting plan.

The commission

tabled a proposed amendment to the M-1 Zoning Ordinance allowing firing

ranges in heavy manufacturing districts.

A request to

table was made by city staff, as the City Council is looking at possible

changes to the M-1 and M-2 districts, Prince said. This was begun after

a cheerleading school appealed a recent P&Z denial to the council,

wanting to locate near the Soccer Centre. The council sided with the applicant,

saying that sports instruction facilities are appropriately located in

the M-1 zoning district.

The sports

instruction facilities, vehicles for hire and fire range amendments are

coming up, Prince said, and there are some other requests from the City

Council on changes to M-1 and M-2, so she recommended tabling this item

to allow all changes to M-1 and M-2 to be looked at comprehensively.

A preliminary

plat was approved for the Bates Avenue tract at the corner of Walker Avenue.

The 11.43-acre

property includes one existing house and a nursing home that is now closed,

Prince said. The site was recently approved for R-22 PUD use by the City

Council.

Prince showed

the site plan, which she said was consistent with what the City Council

approved except for a detention pond. The plans showed a 60-foot buffer

between the houses fronting on Paces Drive and the detention area, she

added, and people who live on Paces Drive were very concerned with the

detention pond because they have been flooded before and were also concerned

about visual impact. They requested that the buffer be a planted buffer.

A representative

of the applicant told the commission that there was heavy tree coverage

and they planned to leave that area undisturbed. He added that the pond

would be for retention of storm water and that there would probably not

be any fencing, so that the area remains as natural as possible.

A motion was

made to approve the request, with an amendment calling for extra planting

around the detention pond and final approval left to city staff. It passed

unanimously.

Elevation

plans were tabled for the 4B Shops at Fayette Pavilion, on the advice

of the city attorney. Coxe said that there was a legal issue with the

project.

Development

plans and two variance requests were tabled for Wendy's restaurant at

520 North Glynn Street. Coxe stated that the city attorney had advised

the commission to table the request because the property had not yet been

rezoned.

Prince said

that she had spoken with the applicant, who was aware that it would likely

be tabled and had no problem with that.

A rezoning

request from C-3 to O&I was approved for the 4.1-acre Rolader property

at the corner of Bradley Drive and Jimmie Mayfield Drive, part of the

southside master plan.

Prince told

the commission that this rezoning, known as Parcel L in the master plan,

was part of the revised proposal created by Urban Collage and the southside

master plan task force. She added that the mayor and City Council were

comfortable with the plan and this rezoning would be necessary to make

it a reality.

There were

no public comments or questions from commissioners, and a motion to approve

the request passed unanimously.