COVINGTON, Ga. — The City of Covington is putting a temporary halt on new convenience store requests within the city limits.

Council members voted unanimously during Monday’s meeting to enact a moratorium on new convenience stores with gas pumps. The moratorium is for 90 days.

According to Judy Thagard, the city’s planning director, the city is receiving a large volume of requests for new convenience stores. Currently, convenience stores with gas pumps are permitted under all zoning districts within city limits. 

Thagard says that staff want more time to look at the standards they currently have in place and potentially make some changes.

“Is it good land use to have all four corners of a major intersection having four convenience stores?” Thagard asked. “Is that good land development? That’s what we would like to look at.”

Thagard confirmed during the meeting that the moratorium will not affect any existing projects. Thagard said that two projects are under development while one is “in the pipeline.”

This moratorium will also not affect the BP in construction off of Highway 278, as Thagard noted this was a redevelopment.

While there were discussions to initially make the moratoriums 60 days, the 90-day period was determined to provide the most sufficient block of time needed. Thagard said that the city will come before the council — possibly as soon as the next meeting —- to initiate a text amendment.

Covington joins Newton County as government entities that have moratoriums on convenience stores. The county is in the midst of a 180-day moratorium that was passed on April 7.