Commissioners denied Glenn Green’s request to rezone

by Angie Thompson/senior reporter

TIFTON May 13, 2008 10:14 pm

— Tift County Commissioners denied Glenn Green’s request to re-zone agricultural property in the area of Old Ocilla and New River roads to single family residential by a vote of 4-2 Monday. At least 50 people who live in the area and who have opposed the rezoning since 2006 were present at the meeting, which was held in the courtroom of the Charles Kent Administrative Building.
The 21.167 acres of property Green Industries, Inc., planned to build single family homes is located on the southeast corner of Old Ocilla Road and New River Road. The land is currently zoned A-U (Agricultural Use) and Green was seeking rezoning of the property to R-20 (Single Family Residential).
Green first took his request to rezone and build Phase I of “The Willows Subdivision” before the commission in 2006 and was denied. In June 2007, Green took Phase II of the subdivision before the planning and zoning board and the county commission. Commissioners voted 3-2 then to approve the request. Then in August 2007, landowners brought a lawsuit against Green, members of the county commission and Carl Fortson, the zoning administrator. The homeowners won the lawsuit when Judge Bill Reinhardt set aside the vote, essentially stating that the vote required to pass the motion was a minimum of four votes.
In March, the county changed its voting rules to allow the chairman to vote on any issue when less than six board members are voting.
Julie Shewchuck, the Tift County planning and zoning administrator with the South Georgia Regional Development Center, said Monday that Green’s request was brought before the planning and zoning commission in April and approved by a 4-3 vote. She also told commissioners that county staff recommended approval of Green’s request and that the development, as planned, would not be too dense for the area, especially since Old Ocilla Road was scheduled for four-laning sometime this year.
After Shewchuck spoke, a public hearing was held and Green spoke in favor of the petition for re-zoning, saying that “we want to do a good job in there.”
Green said he intended to build a 6-foot tall fence around the subdivision and that none of the homes he builds will face Old Ocilla Road. He also said he planned to following the zoning guidelines for his development.
Joseph Carter, the attorney representing the Old Ocilla Road area homeowners association, spoke for the group. He said that the large number of homeowners at Monday’s meeting was not just for commissioners to “determine, okay, who can I make mad.”
“It’s not that,” Carter said. “It’s representative government at its best,” Carter said.
Commissioner Donnie Hester seconded the motion. Commissioners Miley, Hester and Robert Setters (who had previously voted in favor of the re-zoning) cast votes to deny Green’s request. Commissioners Mike Jones and Frankie Mathis then voted in favor of allowing the zoning change. Then, Chairman Grady Thompson voted to deny Green’s request, making the final vote 4-2 in favor of denying Green’s request.
Setters said he changed his vote to one of denial Monday because he didn’t believe Green has made his case. He said Green’s original rezoning request had more “concessions” in it than the one presented Monday.
“The last time it was voted on, the house sizes were going to be bigger with two-car garages and that wasn’t brought out this time,” Setters said. “I just didn’t think the case was made. What I voted for last time was what I thought was a much better plan for the community than was presented this time.”
Green said Tuesday that his request met all the criteria, but the commission “didn’t want the 1/2-acre lot size.” He said that “20,000 square feet is all that is required.”
“The county wasted their money on the RDC in my opinion because they didn’t pay them any attention,” Green said. “If you are going to pay somebody, you ought to pay attention to them.”
Green said he never intended to calculate the wetlands on the property into the lot sizes. He said he didn’t understand why those residents opposed to the rezoning “had rather have duplexes across the road than nice homes.”
When asked what he intended to do next, Green said that “we’ll either build duplexes or we can put mobile homes there.”
“I don’t know what we will do right now,” Green said.