A large tract of land that has been watched closely for several months by residents of neighboring communities was finally rezoned.
The Henry County Board of Commissioners voted April 20 to rezone the 89-acre site on Millers Mill Road to R-3, after the Zoning Advisory Board recommended R-2 with sewer instead. More than two dozen conditions were attached to the final approval, including a limit of 132 residential lots on the site.
The motion by Vivian Thomas, in whose district the property lies, passed with a 4-2 vote. Greg Cannon and Johnny Wilson cast the dissenting votes.
Another rezoning on the same meeting agenda failed to pass due to a tie vote. The request for a 42-acre site at 243 Mill Road was to allow a combination of apartments and future commercial development.
The petition had been recommended for approval with a dozen conditions by the ZAB, and a motion by Dee Clemmons to approve the request included additional conditions. But no votes from Cannon and Wilson as well as board chair Carlotta Harrell prevented the motion from passing.
In other business, a $1,050 qualifying fee has been set for the June 15 special election to fill the District 3 seat on the board for the remainder of its regular four-year term. The commissioners were advised that state law dictates the same fee for a candidate running for an unexpired term as for a full term.
Cannon was appointed to the seat on a temporary basis after the death of Gary Barham, whose term was scheduled to end Dec. 31, 2022. Cannon has already announced his intention to run in the special election.
The board also approved a $27.4 million expenditure for the resurfacing of 96 roads throughout the county. Roads in all five commission districts are included in the project, which is being funded through three different SPLOST programs as well as the districts’ respective resurfacing accounts, state DOT money and the county’s general fund if necessary.
County officials listed all of the affected roads by district during a presentation to the board during the meeting, and the entire list can also be found online at henrycounty-ga.com.
