A plan to put a gas station at the intersection of Ga. Highway 74 and Crosstown Road/TDK Boulevard was shot down Monday night with a 5-0 vote of the Planning Commission.

The sticking point was the location of the car wash on the site plan: it encroached into the side setback required by city ordinance. Several commissioners said they couldn't approve the plan without the necessary variance being approved by council, and developer Mike Hyde was asked if he was OK with tabling the matter until council could vote on the issue.

His response?

"No, go ahead and vote. I'll just go to the council," Hyde said. "I'm through playing games."

That comment came after an exchange between Hyde and city planning staff, whom he accused of botching his variance application. City Planner David Rast said it was handled properly and should be on an upcoming council agenda.

Hyde complained the car wash location issue has been worked on for over six months. He said he wanted the commission to approve the plan conditional on getting council's approval for the variance.

City staff, including Rast and Director of Developmental Services Clyde Stricklin, argued that the commission couldn't approve a plan that assumes a variance would be granted.

The gas station/convenience store would be located at the northwest corner of the intersection, with separate pumps in the rear for tractor trailers.

Stricklin noted that the development would have to comply with the city's new ordinance regulating gasoline canopies, and Hyde said he would abide by that ordinance. He suggested that the commission could vote to accept the plan if the car wash was deleted from it. Hyde replied that he would not agree to taking the car wash off the plan.