Jackson Progress-Argus

BARNESVILLE -- A divided Lamar County planning commission on Monday voted to table a recommendation on rezoning nearly 100 acres of land owned by the Butts County Industrial Development Authority.

The Butts County IDA is asking to rezone the portion of its Riverview Business Park property that lies within Lamar County, one of a host of steps it is taking to ready the site -- nearly 300 acres total -- for potential development.

While the majority of the Riverview property, at Ga. Highway 36 and Interstate 75, lies in Butts County, 97 acres lies in Lamar, and another 15 acres or so in Monroe County. Development Authority officials say they have no plans for developing the Monroe County portion.

During a zoning hearing Monday in Lamar County, planning commissioners failed to make a recommendation on whether the property should be rezoned from agricultural land to M-1, light manufacturing, which would allow for development of industrial uses like warehousing. After hearing from Development Authority officials, and several residents of the Brushy Creek subdivision nearby, the planning commission voted 2-1 to table the request.

The rezoning case is scheduled to be heard by the Lamar County Board of Commissioners Jan. 17, and despite a lack of a recommendation from the planning board, Development Authority officials said they plan to continue the case before Lamar commissioners and hope to win rezoning.

The Butts Industrial Development Authority has been working since 2010 with Panattoni Development Co., to assess and market the property as a site for a big-box industrial user. A proposed site plan shows one building as large as 2 million square feet, and two others well over a half-million square feet each.

Backers of the project point to its benefits, such as increased tax revenue for both counties, as well as the jobs created by employers locating to the industrial park.

Some residents of the area, however, are worried about the possibility of such a development polluting the adjacent High Falls Lake.

“We don’t mind seeing development coming into that property,” said Wayne May, of Dogwood Court. “But we wouldn’t like to see commercial development as proposed.”

Danny Smith, of Brushy Creek, argued that despite its proximity to the interstate, several truck stops and several other industrial land uses, the property’s location on High Falls Lake makes it environmentally sensitive.

“Just because it lies there, doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for that purpose,” he said.

The project’s supporters argued that any future development of the property would be subject to erosion- and pollution-control measures designed to protect waterways.

“Our intention is to develop a park both counties would be proud of,” Bryan Bush, chairman of the Butts County Development Authority, told Lamar planning commissioners.

Bush also noted that the authority is not asking to vary setback or buffer requirements that would shield the lake.

“I’ve got friends and neighbors that live around that lake,” Bush said. “I’m sensitive to that, just on a personal level.”

Lamar County planning commissioners also worried about pollution from the site finding its way to the lake, but one conceded the panel may have little ability to block Butts County’s plans.

“We are not going to control the Butts County parcel,” said Angela Preston, vice chairman of the Lamar planning commission. “I want to protect the lake as well, but that’s not within our capacity.”

Preston cast the lone vote against tabling the request. Planning board member L.D. Parks and Chairman Danny English voted to table it.

The rezoning request is expected to be heard by the Lamar County Board of Commissioners Jan. 17, at 7 p.m., at the Lamar County Courthouse.