The Newton County Planning Commission recommended approval to several rezoning requests for commercial developments at their Tuesday night meeting including a proposal for a day care center with room for 235 children.
The new daycare center would be built on Salem Road near the Salem Methodist Church and still under-construction Covington Marketplace. The daycare center would occupy 11,230 square feet and hold 12 classrooms. The proposed development also includes 15,000 square feet of retail space. The total acreage of the subject site is 5.47 acres. The site is part of a larger parcel that is proposed for a subdivision which is currently in the permitting process but is approved for 243 lots.
The existing zoning of the land is single family residential. The petitioner, Featherhorn Partners LLC is seeking a rezoning to neighborhood commercial.
The Planning Commission staff is recommending that the developer restrict the use of the property to retail, service, commercial and/or office and accessory uses.
The Planning Commission also recommended approval of a rezoning petition from Mount Pleasant LLC for rezoning from agriculture residential to general commercial of 74 acres on the east side of Ga. Highway 11, north of U.S. Highway 278 and south of Interstate 20. The property is located inside the Brick Store development node and is a part of the planned Mount Pleasant development.
The majority of the property - 57 acres - is currently or will be used for operation of a sanitary sewer system to support Georgia Perimeter College and the town of Mount Pleasant. The Mount Pleasant developers intend to develop the remaining 17 acres into two commercial sites while leaving approximately five acres as a buffer along Ga. Highway 11.
When the sanitary sewer system ceases to operate, the land it occupies will be developed into commercial sites as well. The developers are agreeable to a condition of the zoning requiring planning commission site plan approval when the 57 acres are developed.
In other Planning Commission news
The board recommended approval to a preliminary plat for Castlebrook Estates. The subdivision will occupy approximately 30 acres with a total of 64 lots on Heaton Road in District 2.
The board recommended approval to the second phase of a preliminary plat for Town Home Estates on 10.5 acres for a total of 132 units on South Dearing Road in District 5.
The board recommended denial to a conditional use permit request for a commercial kennel with up to 20 dogs to be located on White Pine Lane in District 1.
The board approved several proposed amendments to the county's zoning ordinance including changes to the zoning use table for group homes and changes to the thresholds for Developments of Regional Impact.
