Politics & Government

Planning Department Recommends Denial for Two of Three Local Zoning Cases

The cases will go before the Gwinnett County Planning Commission on Dec. 3.

A proposed tire store, a request for outdoor storage and a storage building request are among the cases on the agenda for the Dec. 3 meeting of the Gwinnett County Planning Commission.

The planning department has recommended denial for two of the three requests. 

One of the two cases for which the planning department has recommended denial is a request to build a tire/automotive repair store on Gravel Springs Road near Morgan Road. The site was previously used as a plant nursery.

According to the planning department analysis, the property lies within an existing/emerging suburban character area as designated in the 2030 Unified Plan Future Development Map.

"Policies for this character area encourage commercial zoning to be located at appropriate major intersections," the analysis states. "The subject property is not at such an intersection, but is in the middle of a residential block; therefore, the requested C-2 zoning is not considered consistent with this designation."

Due to the fact the surrounding properties are residential in nature, the department analysis concludes, "... the proposed tire store and general automotive service activity may not be compatible with surrounding residential developments. Therefore, the Department of Planning and Development recommends denial."

The planning department has also recommended denial for a request to use a portion of property located on Braselton Highway near Wheeler Road for outdoor storage. The applicant, GP's Enterprises, owns a piece of property which is intersected by the Barrow-Gwinnett County line. According to documents submitted to the planning department, the property has been used for storage of equipment and materials for the business. The applicant was made aware of the zoning issue after receiving a notice from Gwinnett County.

As with the tire store request, the property in question is located within a designated existing/emerging suburban character area.

"The Unified Plan envisions this area as remaining residential, and may not support industrial zoning for the subject sites," the planning department analysis states.

The analysis notes the area is predominantly residential in nature. 

"Although a commercial zoning has been established in Barrow County, its presence may not provide sufficient justification to rezone the subject sites in Gwinnett," the department concluded in recommending denial.

Of the local cases on the planning commission agenda, only one -- a request for an outdoor storage building -- was given a favorable planning department recommendation.

A Dacula man has requested permission to construct a 2,400-square-foot metal storage building on his property located in the 2000 block of Winder Highway. The building, according to county documents, will house motor vehicles, lawn care equipment and ATVs. 

In recommending approval for the request, the department analysis stated "the proposed accessory building could be consistent with the adjacent residence and should not adversely affect the adjacent industrial and commercially-zoned properties."

The conditions listed by the planning department limit the size of the building to 2,400 square feet, prevent using the building for business purposes and require the building to be located as depicted on the site plan.

The Gwinnett County Planning Commission is scheduled to make recommendations on all three cases during the Dec. 3 meeting. The meeting, held in the auditorium of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center located at 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville, is set to begin at 7 p.m.



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