LEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — Lee County commissioners denied Tuesday night (Sept. 8) a request to rezone 21 acres on Ledo Road for commercial use after hearing objections from residents.

The application, filed by Palmyra Development, LLC, asked to rezone the land from C-1 and R-1 to C-2, General Commercial. About 12 acres at the rear of the property would’ve remained zoned R-1.

The property sits next to the Palmyra subdivision and near several small businesses on Ledo Road.

Residents raise concerns

Commissioners heard from residents living in the Palmyra subdivision. Their concerns included drainage, noise, and traffic.

“I believe a professional drain study should answer these questions before rezoning is approved, and the study should be completed at the developer’s cost,” one resident said.

“There’s no way to know what type of business we’re looking at — a big box store, a truck stop, warehouses. We have no idea what it’s going to look like,” another resident said.

Developers had scaled back the request from 30 acres to 21 acres and offered a 30-foot buffer along the property line. Commissioners denied the request.

“So any rezoning where there’s residential property involved, it is very difficult for a board of commissioners to change something that affects residents. This is their lifetime investment,” Luke Singletary, the Lee County commission chairman, said. “So this was an instance where we aren’t comfortable with the proposed plan and didn’t feel like it was the right use of the property.”

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Business owner supported rezoning

Not everyone on Ledo Road opposed the rezoning. Soothe Holistic Wellness Lounge in the Ledo Plaza said drivers often overlook the business on their way to Highway 82 or farther down Ledo Road.

“Everybody’s like leaving Walmart and going to 82, and oh, we didn’t know you were there, or we saw your sign but we didn’t know what it was. So I think the new businesses next door would bring more people out this way to get more recognition,” spa manager, Lori Sheffield, said.

Singletary said the denial targets large-scale commercial development, not smaller businesses like Sheffield’s.

“You could still have businesses locate there, which obviously would bring more attention to existing businesses too,” Singletary added. “So there’s still an opportunity for commercial development. It’s just not a large commercial development like you would have a tractor supplier or a Walmart or something like that.”

What’s next

Palmyra Development LLC would have to submit a new proposal to go before the planning commission and county commissioners again. Singletary said resident impact will remain the board’s top priority.

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