Planning and Zoning Commission

Planning and Zoning Commission 23 EAST MAIN STREET, FORSYTH, GA. 31029 478.994.7747 WWW.CITYOFFORSYTH.NET June 26, 2023 Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes Voting Board Members Present: Steve Coleman, Kathy Rowland, Keisha Rawls, Michael Brewster, Martin Presley, and Hal Clarke. Voting Board Members Not Present: None Staff Present: Cody Ellis and Interim City Attorney Ashley Brodie. I. Call to Order: Steve Coleman called the meeting to order at 5:03p.m. Prior to roll call, Keisha Rawls was sworn in by Ashley Brodie as the newest board member. II. Approval of Agenda: Cody Ellis stated that there was to be one change made to the agenda; Griffin Lumber had asked to be removed and to be rescheduled at a later meeting. Hal Clarke made a motion to approve the agenda, Kathy Rowland seconded it; approved unanimously. III. Approval of Minutes: Kathy Rowland made a motion to approve the minutes from the June 26th meeting. Martin Presley seconded the motion; it was approved unanimously. IV. Planning and Zoning: Cody Ellis presented Josh Hill’s request to have three parcels inside of Fox Run subdivision to be used as a day care facility off on Thornton Road. Mr. Hill stated that, if approved, he would like to open a Fox Den Preschool at the end of next summer. He stated that it would have approximately 170 students during the day and 50 after school students. The location would be directly across from the Middle and Elementary Schools. Mr. Hill presented a letter from the Board of Education stating that they supported his plan to bring a day care to Forsyth. Kathy Rowland noted that the letter showed support for the day care but mentioned nothing about traffic concerns. She stated that she had concerns regarding traffic given that it is a narrow road with a high traffic count during the school year. She also stated that she did not like the idea of the day care letting out onto Thornton Road and thought that it would be better to let out into the subdivision and then utilize the exit that is already there. Mr. Hill stated that George Emami did not want 1  the traffic being directed through the subdivision, so that’s why he has the entrance and exit where it is currently. Hal Clarke reiterated the concerns for traffic in that area. He stated that they previously approved for a rezoning variance on the Hwy 41 side of this property for this very reason; however, Mr. Hill stated that George Emami would not be able to put a business that serves alcohol over there if the day care were to go there because of the regulations regarding distance from a school. Hal Clarke stated that a day care is a good idea, and needed, but location is the issue; primarily with regards to traffic. Steve Coleman also reiterated these concerns with regards to traffic and stated that it would be more beneficial if they had other proposals for an entrance and exit to look at that might alleviate some of these concerns. Martin Presley made a motion to postpone the decision until the next meeting so that they could be presented with more solutions to the traffic situation that would be created if it were to come to that location. Michael Brewster seconded the motion; it was approved unanimously. V. Design and Review: Cody Ellis presented Bank of Dudley who was looking to have their site plan, layout, and building design approved to begin construction. Bill McLees presented the design concept on behalf of Bank of Dudley. He stated that they would be building a 4800sqft building with three teller lanes behind the building and three entrances/exits from the property as well as a civic garden on one corner of the property. Mr. McLees added that the material would be essentially the same as what was presented and shown in the material provided, but that the color may vary slightly depending upon pricing. Martin Presley expressed concerns regarding the parking and narrowness of the side streets. Mr. McLees stated that their construction would not interfere with the parking other than where the curb cuts would take place. Martin Presley made a motion to approve, seconded by Kathy Rowland; motion was approved unanimously. Cody Ellis presented the Indian Springs plant Tiny Homes plant, stating that this project would previously approved; however, since it has changed locations, they had to come back before to receive another approval of design. Steve Coleman stated that he would be abstaining from the vote due to conducting the survey on the property. Scott Woodell was there to represent the project in George Emami’s absence. He stated that the design was roughly the same as before, the plant would be used to construct tiny homes with a loading area on the side of the building as well as an asphalt lot and gravel lot to another side of the building. Hal Clarke stated that the entire lot should be asphalt to be consistent. He also added that this design better suited this location than it did the previous location. Mr. Woodell stated that even though the design showed that there would be a staging area for the homes, this would not be the case, and that all sales of any sort would be conducted at their real estate office; only manufacturing of the homes would take place here. Kathy 2  Rowland made a motion to approve, seconded by Martin Presley; it was approved with a 5-1 vote, with Hal Clarke voting against due to the gravel lot. VI. Additional Business: VII. Adjournment: Steve Coleman adjourned the meeting at 6:18p.m. 3