The Bryan County Planning and Zoning Commission met Thursday night, ruling on eight home business office requests and three public hearings on rezoning and map amendments.
After hearing from residents on each side of the issues, the board – which serves merely as an advisory to the county commission, which has the authority for final approval – recommended approval of 109 acres in Blitchton on the corner of highways 80 and 208 for a mixed-use development of 160 single-family homes, 40 town homes and eight acres dedicated for commercial use.
The commission also recommended approval of a 42.37-acre tract development off Spur 144 in Richmond Hill that would be called "McAllister Farms," a subdivision comprised of 44 lots.
Though the proposal was met with opposition from neighbors of the area, who said low-lying land made the area prone to flooding and that the quality of the entire area would be diminished, the project was recommended to the county commission with a vote of 3-2.
After the meeting, County Administrator Phil Jones said he wasn’t sure if the proposed development would be affected by new rules passed by the Board of Natural Resources.
The new buffer rules now require buildings and parking lots be built at least 50 feet from marsh areas.
The area where the proposed development would be built does have marshland at the back of it and along one side.
"I haven’t read the full plan that came out and that was approved," Jones said. "But it could have some effect."
-The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to deny a recommendation to the board of commissioners a proposed zoning change that would allow a golf cart sales and repair shop to be built at the intersection of Highway 144 and Port Royal Road.
-The board approved seven home business office/home occupation permits, but denied one that would have allowed a resident to operate a canine daycare. The members of the planning and zoning commission felt it was an inappropriate business for the specified permit and voted unanimously to deny the request.