Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

I think he's doing right on the right hand.

Okay. We are all waiting. I saw that man.

This one probably did.

All right. Good afternoon. The time is 3 0 1 and we are going to call this August planning commission to order. Thank you for taking the time out to be with us on this afternoon. Um, All commissioners are present. I think one is absent, Commissioner Robert Cooks. Okay. So he is going to be present by phone. All right. Okay. So we have the entire planning commission present. We'll start by reading the opening statement here. The Augusta, Georgia Planning Commission is a recommended body. The final decision on all zoning matters coming before it will be made by Augusta Commission on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at 2 o'clock p.m. in the Augusta Commission Chambers at the Municipal Building, this building in this space that you're in right now. The Planning Commission makes the final decision on all variances including subdivision, A handout describing the zoning procedures by which these cases are decided is available upon request. These procedures also require that any applicant for a rezoning action or an opponent to an application for a rezoning action who has made contributions aggregating $250 or more to a local government official within two years of the rezoning application to file a disclosure report with the governing authority. The disclosure report must be filed within 10 calendar days of filing the application and at least 10 calendar days prior to today's hearing. A minimum of 10 minutes shall be afforded for the presentation of data, evidence, and opinions on each side of the rezoning petition or a special exception. If more than 10 minutes is afforded to one side, then an equal amount of time should be afforded to the other side. THE COMMISSION ENCOURAGES PARTICIPATION IN THIS HEARING AND THERE IS NO RESTRICTION ON WHO MAY ADDRESS THE COMMISSION WITHIN THE ALLOTTED TIME, BUT THE COMMISSION ASKS THAT THE PUBLIC COMMENTS BE BRIEF, ON SUBJECT, AND NONREPETITIVE AND DIRECTED TO THE COMMISSION, NOT TO ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. CAN I GET AN APPROVAL FOR THE JULY 6TH MEETING MINUTES? I just been moved and seconded to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed? Aye. All right. I'm sure that was just delayed, but okay. So now we have a couple of adjustments to our agenda. The first is there's an item Z2612. We are in receipt of the appropriate request to postpone this item into the September meeting. So if you're here for that particular agenda item that has been postponed to the September meeting. Okay, now we'll take the agenda from top to bottom, starting with Z26.9.

Sorry. So after 26 nine, we do have se 2612. And then I'm gonna we're gonna do things a little different. I'm gonna have Todd, he's gonna read the item and then proceed with presenting the case.

Yeah, Kevin, just for clarification, we're on the Z-2609. Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought we needed to read it into the record and then take action on it.

Oh, okay. Okay, so I'll go ahead and read this one. I'm so sorry. Z-2609 is a petition by H&A Development LLC on behalf of SAKSH19. LLC requesting a rezoning from zones A, agricultural and R1, one family residential to zone R1D, one family residential to develop a single family subdivision affecting property containing 55 acres located at 4150 Peach Orchard Road. This is in commission district number eight. And this request has been withdrawn by the applicant. And so we did receive notice on Wednesday of the community meeting of last week.

All right, so I need a motion to allow this withdrawal by the applicant.

So moved. Second.

All right, it's been moved and seconded to withdraw this application. All in favor? Any opposed? All right, this application has been withdrawn. All right, now we can do SC 2612.

Okay, as Mr. Boyd just stated, I'm gonna go and read the item into the record, and then I'll go and proceed on with the case. Mr. Chair, members of the commission, good afternoon. My name is Todd Kennedy. I'm with Planning and Development staff. I'm gonna go ahead and start off this item before you. is case number SE-26-12. It's a petition by Mr. Curtis Reynolds, G. Curtis Reynolds, on behalf of DM Property Holdings, requesting a special exception for section 24-2A of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance to establish a solid waste transfer station affecting property containing approximately 5.42 acres located at 927 Molly Pond Road. Tax number is 073-3. Okay, moving ahead, and I'm going to go ahead, as was discussed earlier, I'm going to go ahead and scroll down to a little bit of the staff report page here. and we're gonna go ahead and start off. Much of this information is in your packet already, as you all know, but anyway, I'm gonna go and proceed here. Okay, this special exception request applies to a parcel totaling 5.42 acres located within the heavy industrial zoning district along Molly Pond Road. The property includes additional parking areas, vacant land, a 20,000-square-foot transfer station, and a 3,500-square-foot office building. According to the Augusta-Richmond County Tax Assessor's records, the main building was constructed in 1970 with an office building constructed in 1986. The request seeks approval to establish... Yeah.

He's reading the right one. It's right there.

Yeah, it's right there, yep.

Okay, sorry about that, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to go and proceed on. Okay, constructed in 1986. The request seeks approval to establish and operate a solid waste transfer station located at 927 Molly Pond Road. Okay, a little bit of information right here. The conference of... Comprehensive plan consistency, the first sentence there. According to the 2023 comprehensive plan, the property is located within the old Augusta character area. I'm gonna go ahead and jump down to the findings. And let me go ahead and I'll read off the findings. They are findings one through 16. Here we go. Okay, number one, solid waste transfer stations are not permitted by right in the HI zone, but may be granted with the approval of a special exception. Number two, a development of regional impact or DRI review was submitted to the CSRA Regional Commission. Number three, section 24-2-A of the Conference of Zoning Ordinance allows a garbage, let's see, awful and ALLOWS GARBAGE AND DEAD ANIMAL REDUCTION OR DUMPING IN THE HI BY SPECIAL EXCEPTION SUBJECT TO GENERAL COMPLIANCE WITHIN THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA. And those have the following bullet points. Bullet point number one. In no case shall any garbage, offal, dead animal reduction or dumping be allowed within 300 feet of an R zone. The site is over 1,300 feet from the nearest R zone. Bullet point number two. The maximum height of a building or structure in the HI zone shall be 300 feet and meet the minimum setback requirements of 40 feet in the front, 10 feet on the side, and 25 feet in the rear. The main structure was built in 1970 and stands less than 50 feet in height with setbacks as follows. Front is 86 feet, rear is 70 feet, and the sides are 95 feet and 120 feet. The building complies with the required height and setback requirements. Bullet point number three, off-street parking shall conform to section four of this ordinance. According to the zoning ordinance, parking for industrial establishments be calculated at one space per each 2,500 square feet of gross floor area. As the floor area is 22,231 square feet, this site will require nine parking spaces and meets that requirement as the existing site has ample parking. And bullet point number four, a plan illustrating compliance with the above requirements shall be submitted to the Planning Commission before the proposal is placed on the agenda. The Planning Commission shall determine that all the foregoing requirements shall be satisfied, and further, that the benefits of the proposed indoor waste sorting and transfer facility are greater than any possible depreciating effects and damages to the neighboring properties. The Georgia Department of Transportation, GDOT, Function Classification Map 2026 classifies Molly Pond Road as a local road. The property is situated on the old Augusta character area. Plan and number 16, at the time of the completion of this report, staff has not received any inquiries regarding this petition. Now moving ahead with comments, I'd like to go ahead and address those. Engineering and utility comments.

Before I do so, let me just go and scroll this down like so, okay.

Traffic and engineering comments. Driveway radii must meet GDOT city standards for trucks. Engineering comments proceeding. Detention plunge will be required. Water quality requirements must be met. Any ties to the existing Augusta system must be 18-inch RCP. provide a truck turn exhibit, provide a copy of the stormwater maintenance agreement. All existing curb cuts not used for the proposed design must be replaced with curb gutter, curb and gutter. Concrete valley gutters must be used at all curb openings and all road repairs must be done according to Augusta engineering standards.

Our engineer for the project immediately loaded, and when I say immediately, generally within 30 minutes to an hour and a half, loaded onto a transfer truck, which is a long-haul truck like this, and then it'll be disposed either at the Dean's Bridge Road landfill or the construction and demolition waste, which is not municipal solid waste, will go to a Jenkins County landfill. And we've discussed that with Dr. Malik, and we understand, he understands that. That's pretty much it. I know one of the concerns that folks had was how long the waste sits there. Somebody was even questioned, hey, does it be there for 30 days? No, it likely will not be there longer than 30 minutes. It comes in on a truck and immediately gets loaded and taken out. A lot of this is regulated by the Georgia EPD. As well as local, I think there was somebody wanting to know about who's responsible for continuous monitoring of this to make sure it's within compliance. It is a permit by rule, but that is kept up by the Georgia Department of Environmental Protection.

The building is roughly how many square feet? 25,000?

We'll use that as the tipping floor. We'll stay out of all floodplains. Another concern, I think, was the access that we'll be using. Molly Pond Road is right off of Gordon Highway, and we'll be using Gordon Highway Not exclusively, but I would say 99% of our trucks will come in and out of Gordon Highway, going straight to Molly Pond and straight out to Gordon Highway. So we will not be going into any sort of residential neighborhood whatsoever.

Does that conclude your comment, sir?

Curtis, do you have any?

As Ben said, there are plans to repair the existing building and then to build new offices, as shown on the site plan, and then probably a new scale house to replace the trailer that's there now. As Ben mentioned, the permit for this type of facility, a solid waste transfer station, is under the Permit by Rule Requirements, VPD. Environmental Protection Division of the state has certain requirements for the operation of a transfer station that must be followed. Should the state receive any complaints, they do visits as well as routine visits. I'm not sure how often state staff will visit the site. It depends on their staffing level at the time or if they receive any complaints. But the state district here in Augusta would work in partnership with the city and county. TO ADDRESS ANY ISSUES SHOULD THEY BECOME APPARENT THERE. AGAIN, WITH THE WASTE BEING COLLECTED FROM RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES, HAULED TO THE TRANSFER STATION, DUMPED ON THE FLOOR, LOADED INTO TRAILER AND HAULED TO THE LANDFILL, AS LONG AS THAT IS MANAGED IN A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING MANNER, WE WOULD NOT ANTICIPATE ODORS OR SIGNIFICANT NUISANCES TO THE SURROUNDING AREA. IN REFERENCE TO THE FLOOD PLANE, YES, THE SITE IS LOCATED ON THE BANKS OF OATS CREEK. THAT DOES HAVE A 100-YEAR FLOOD PLANE ASSOCIATED WITH IT. WE HAVE GOTTEN A TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF THE SITE AND DETERMINED THAT THE FINISH FLOOR ELEVATION CURRENTLY OF THE BUILDING THAT'S IN EXISTENCE IS OUTSIDE OF THAT 100-YEAR FLOOD PLANE. AND THE GOAL IS TO KEEP AS MUCH improvements to the site as possible outside that floodplain. In the case of the detention for the site that is required, we would work with site planning review to coordinate that detention within that 100-year floodplain area and increasing the floodplain storage available on site for that purpose. I think in regards to lighting, We'll have the lighting for safety there, but they'll be predominantly downward facing with the exception of some kind of outer shell lighting for safety around the building. The site will be fenced in its entirety with the appropriate gate as referenced in the fire code to provide safety to the area as well.

All right, commissioners, do you have questions or comments? All right, Commissioner Smith.

Thank you. This is for the staff. This gentleman made a reference to the waste being transported to the Jenkins County milling area to the landfill, but you told us that it was going to be going to our landfill. Did I misunderstand somewhere?

No, we've been in discussion with Dr. Malik, and all solid waste, municipal solid waste, will be going to the Dean's Bridge Road landfill. That is what we've discussed. Construction and demolition waste, which is characterized as a different waste stream, will be going to the Jenkins County landfill. He's familiar with that. so i've been to a transfer station and how do you separate one from the next so so when the trucks dump uh you'll have a roll-off truck that'll dump on one side and the way this is going to be engineered you'll have a pile that is on one side that is just constrictly construction and demolition and then you'll have the wet waste side which will have another one so like if you've got a front load garbage truck that picks up, front load to pick up the houses, not houses, but businesses, that stays on others. So it stays completely separated from one another is how that operates.

My only concern is what you presented to us is one thing, and I don't really have a difference of opinion about it. I just want our verbiage here that you provided us with that said it'll all go to the landfill, that the two need to be compatible is my point.

Yes, sir. So good afternoon. Hamid Malik, Augusta Engineering Director. That was part of our issuing that letter. So that's everything is covered under that letter. And the request is to planning commission to include that letter one of the condition as a part of the zoning exception that solid waste, municipal solid waste shall go to the Augusta landfill. So there's no financial impact and other impact. So that's the request that that should be part of that. So if they don't comply with that requirement, then they are noncompliance with the exception and they will not be operating under that. Other thing is, this is basically, they're consolidating the waste that's coming or floating around so it helps in overall transportation to the landfill and for us to manage that intake in a more effective way because there's gonna be, I don't know, maybe four or five trucks that's gonna be coming to landfill versus one trailer coming. So it will help from operational wise and there's no impact to the, there's no financial impact.

You have provided clarification that you need. Commissioner Smith, do you have a follow-up?

I know that when he presented, he said that all of the waste would go to the landfill, and now we're hearing that it's going to two different places, and I just want us to be consistent in what we say and what we do. The only other question I had was, how do you deal with the leach that's from the waste?

I'm going to let Curtis speak to that.

So in the renovations for the building, we will slope the floor toward the pit, which will house the transfer truck. And so as the trucks dump the trash on the floor, a loader scoops that trash up against what's called a knee wall or push wall and then loads it into the truck. So any of the liquids in that trash will be pushed toward the knee wall, which will then drain through the knee wall in pipes or drains down to a collection grate. That grate will drain by gravity outside the building to a manhole and pump station that will then be pumped into the Augusta Sanitary Sewer System for treatment at the wastewater treatment facility. And so the building would be sloped appropriately to keep any liquids or leachate or garbage used from liquids touching trash from leaving the building, and it'll all be collected and sent to the sewer system.

Additional comments? Okay, Commissioner McKnight, Commissioner O'Neill, and Commissioner Clark.

Did I just hear you say that the waste would go into the sanitary sewer system of Augusta, Georgia?

The solid waste will not. The liquids, be it from rainfall into the bins, or say, for instance, your household dumpster is left with the lid open and it rains, and then your garbage bags put in there. Well, if that liquid reaches the site, reaches the transfer station, that liquid will be collected, only the liquid. and then that liquid will go in with the wastewater because then that liquid is an industrial wastewater. It'll be able to be treated at a wastewater treatment facility.

So you're not looking for an old water separator or a heavy metal separator before this goes into the sewer system? It won't be treated that way?

That would be subject to the site plan review and wastewater engineering department review. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the leachate from the Augusta landfill now may be treated at the Augusta's wastewater plant. I'm not, correct me if I'm wrong, Dr. Malik, I'm not entirely sure. Where's the current leachate going from the landfill?

So the leisure firm side will be similar to landfill and they will be required to get the permit from our wastewater plant like we have for the landfill and they will meet the requirement whatever in that permit is treatment and the level of constituents and all that. So they won't be allowed to discharge, like just dumping there, but they have to go through that permitting process. So yeah, that's a requirement. And back to the waste question, yeah, there's two types of waste, C and D, which is construction and demolition waste. That's the waste which is not going to be coming to Augusta Landfill because we don't want that waste to take our valuable airspace. Right now we don't have a separate CND area where we can take it. So that's the two type of waste they were going to reference to.

One more, so it would be treated as industrial waste and would have to go through those permits

Yes, sir. So it's going to require permit from EPD or Jordan Environmental Protection Division for the operation of the facility as a solid waste or C&D waste. As far as the liquid, which we call leachate, going to be, since it's going into the wastewater plant system, our wastewater plant, our city wastewater plant will review their request and issue a permit. So they're gonna have multiple permits to operate and each one has its own requirements and compliance. And my understanding, the wastewater plant conduct periodic inspection and collect their own samples and all that. And same way, we probably gonna be doing periodic visit to the site to make sure there's no operational issues there.

Overall, the amount of leachate that is generated from a transfer station is a small amount. It just really depends on rainfall that we see. You're talking in a heavy rain event, we might have, you know, a thousand gallons a day at the most, and that's after a heavy rain event, but most of the time it's done uh it's just when you have a rain event where you have uh the front load cans that are getting full like we've experienced here today and yesterday and the day before that you see all right commissioner o'neill sure thank you uh so in regards to that in this particular facility

I know you're saying that the materials, particularly organic materials that come in, will not be on the floor more than 30 minutes to an hour 30, but I'm wondering in your hours of operation, that one truck comes in late in the evening and dumps and there's not anybody to pick it up and put it into a transfer truck. Do you have a system that prevents that? And if there are materials that's going to be left on the floor no longer than 24 hours in your document, how are you all handling the smell that might come from that facility and drift towards the... neighborhood to your uh i think that's to your to your north and then um any potential impacts from rodents getting a hold to whatever against because i'm thinking you're you're collecting um um just regular citizens trash coming there and whatever they put in there they're not really thinking about where it's going and there's fluid in there or they're organic material in there that we really don't want to deal with. And it's there on your facility and we have 110 degree weather baking in there and it's going to draft out of there.

I understand. And that's a valid concern. I'll say this. We operate six other transfer stations right now. And I'll be honest with you. They do not smell unless you're between me and you from the garbage. Once you get, you know, probably more than about 50 to a hundred feet. You don't smell it because the same waste that was collected from us today was put it probably there the day before by you. And it's only been out of your house for a day to two days at a most generally. Um, a lot of material that we're going to be having is going to be construction demolition waste in nature. and that is not allowed to have any sort of uh patricipal waste which causes smell and odors um but to answer the question on what happens if it stays overnight you have to load it into a trailer the night before so it's ready to go so it stays off the floor um and so it's the same as if it was in a container and it just didn't get picked up that day. So if you picked up a front load dumpster and it's scheduled for Monday pickup, it'd be like it got picked up on Tuesday instead of Monday.

Okay, because to your point, you would have received the trash from us, but we would have put it into the trash can up to seven days before you've gotten it. And so it's already kind of angry in that trash can by the time it gets to you. So when you load it into the truck and the truck leaves your facility, Is leachate coming out of that truck onto the road going back to Gordon Highway?

No, sir.

Okay. And you have a way to deal with rodents that do come around there?

We'll be having a pest control plan.

Cats or something like that?

No, I don't have too many cats or raccoons. Okay. But there are some cats. I'm not going to lie. We do have cats. We try to do the best we can. They don't run amok. It's not like a humane society and they're all scattered everywhere. Good question.

All right, Commissioner O'Neill, you're good. Okay, Commissioner Clark.

Just to add to, I don't know whether to cover. Director Malik.

Yes. And so my question definitely piggybacked off of what he asked. My question was what enforceable conditions, I know you said you have another location and you guys don't usually have problems, but what enforceable conditions will you put into place to ensure that the facility does not create a nuisance through dust or odor or truck traffic?

That's part of the Georgia EPD permit by rule. We're not allowed to create any sort of nuisance at all. You know, I'm sure that y'all have a code of ordinances for your cities as far as any business that doesn't, you know, that has nuisance ordinance. And we'll comply with those just like any other business would. What's with that?

It boils down to, like I mentioned, the good housekeeping of the site, loading the waste as soon as possible, as soon as practical, and then getting it to the landfill as quickly as possible. That benefits the operations, the hours, and the landfill all in one. In regards to addressing on-site odors, it's just a And if something arises, managing it and then finding the source and remedy in that situation. Worst case scenario, you could look into deodorants and such, but that's just a masking of the odors. It's best to address the source at hand, and which in this case would be the waste, should it be located in the building and getting it on the trailer and getting it away from the site so that it remedies the odor on site. But that's part of the design of the facility also is to build walls around the edges so that as the loader is scooping up the trash, none of the waste falls behind the wall. We'll have sheeting around the top of the wall to prevent that from happening, to keep trash from getting into places where rodents and environments may cause an issue. And so some of the design of the facility is to prevent that from happening for the day-to-day operations.

All right, Director Malik.

Yeah, I just want to add to that, and you all can correct me if I'm wrong. So it is enclosed operation, and they're going to have a concrete pad. So it's not like dumping waste on the dirt or anything, and that makes it easier for them to kind of reload it and do it and clean it up. So it's not the open air operation. It's enclosed operation.

All the operations are fully under roof, as been said, enclosed on three sides there.

All right, commissioners, any additional questions or comments before we move to the audience? All right, anybody in the audience opposed to this particular project? Raise your hands high so we can count them. All right, does anybody want to speak? Or you just want your opposition note? Okay, if you would like to speak, if you would come forward to the podium and you can determine what order you go in. But when you come to the mic, if you give us your name and your county of residence. And because it's multiple individuals, if you would keep your comments brief, two to three minutes so that we can hear from everyone, we'd appreciate it.

Good afternoon. My name is Myra Hobbs. I'm the president of the Turpin Hill Neighborhood Association, which is literally near the proposed site. First thing I'd like to say is that not only do I live in the community, but I've seen the effects of what has happened in the community through the years. I'm here to urge you to deny the special exception or impose strict and enforceable zoning conditions. We can't look at this in isolation. It sits within a corridor. We have a documented history of environmental injustice. The place where Carrie J. Mays is located is the site of an abandoned landfill. And since Carrie J. Mays Park has been developed, The entire back portion has been closed off due to gas emissions there. That land was originally done with Savannah Place homes that were placed there, and everybody had to be relocated because their houses were getting destroyed. We also have, that's also in the same location where Hyde Park, and we all understand what is happening in Hyde Park. They're still doing remediation in that area. This is a historically black area that has already gone through situations dealing with this kind of issue, and we are not interested in seeing more of that issue come to our area. The city has recently applied, Not the city, but the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing has gotten funding to start revitalizing our area. And the last thing that we need is a situation where we have 500 tons of trash left. according to their documents, coming in and out. Who wants to buy a house near that place? And finally, I'm going to just give you just a couple of things. Number one, this is not simply a waste transfer station. According to their documents that they put in their application, it is also a heavy truck maintenance facility and a full fleet dispatch yard. So these vehicles that come in, they're going to be idling because everybody can't dump their load all at the same time. That's going to affect our environment and our neighborhood. We're also looking at the issues with Oats Creek. Oats Creek is... I just can't get into that. But anyway, Oats Creek has always been an issue in our area. It flooded, I remember it flooding when I was a youngster and the flood issues are returning because it hasn't been maintained by the city. And so whenever we have heavy rains, It's like here from the top. And so we don't need anything that's going to possibly leach into Oaks Creek because it is in that 100-year floodplain, and those liquids will leach into the system. And I'll go ahead and let other people have a say-so. Thank you.

GOOD AFTERNOON, HONORABLE GOOD AFTERNOON, HONORABLE COMMISSIONERS.

COMMISSIONERS. I WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT THE I WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT THE WELLNESS ASPECT OF DUMPING TRASH

I guess waste products into the earth. And then you have surrounding structures like homes, residents. It eventually seeps into air as well as water, which Richmond County already has a problem with obesity as well as a lot of people being sick with high blood pressure, hypertension, What I want to know is why is Richmond County the dumping ground for everybody's trash? I have a problem with that. So I don't want to get into emotions about it, but we're sick enough. We don't need no more trash into our environment. We're not a dumping ground. And it is a minority black county. So what I would like to state is some facts. Some of my biggest concerns are water pollution. When you're dumping trash into the environment, the rainwater can carry chemicals, oils, metals, and other contaminants from the waste into nearby streams and ponds, rivers, wetlands, which I'm definitely concerned about because that's our drinking water, as well as groundwater. This young lady just said something about a particular pond or stream. Air pollution. Decomposing trash releases methane and powerful greenhouse gas. Dust, odors, and other air pollutants can also affect nearby neighborhoods. This young lady spoke about that. Soil contamination. No, do I live over there? No, but I live in Richmond County and I am concerned about what goes on in Richmond County. So that is why I'm here. I'm concerned about all of Augusta, but I live in Richmond County, so that's why I'm here. Soil contamination, hazardous substances can seep into the ground, making the soil unsafe for plants, animals, potentially affecting future land use, such as houses. Wildlife impacts, birds, rodents, insects, and other animals are attracted to waste. Increased flooding, she spoke about that. Large waste sites and paved areas can change how the rainwater drains, increasing runoff and potentially contributing to flooding if not properly engineered. Noise and traffic. Well, we do have nearby residents, residential properties. You got all these trucks bringing in all this stinky trash or whatever it is, whatever's in the trash. Frequent garbage trucks create noise, road wear, diesel emissions, and traffic congestion. And lastly, but not least, property values and quality of life. As I mentioned, wellness is very important. It's very important to the quality of life in Richmond County. Nearby residents may experience unpleasant odors, litter, pests, and concerns with health and aesthetic, which can reduce property values and discourage new investment. And it also can cause, think about it, wastewater. You talking about... anything in that wastewater. Chemicals. You're talking about cancer. You're talking about hypertension. You're talking about early death. So I'm asking you today, I'm here today, wasn't here for this particular petition, but I'm here today because I am a Richmond County resident, and I'm asking you to stop using Richmond County as a dumping ground. Richmond County needs to be uplifted. Our quality of life and aesthetics is very important over here. If you don't live in Richmond County, no, we don't want that trash over here. So I'm asking you to deny this petition. Even if you did live in Richmond County, we don't want it. Thank you. Sorry about that.

Good afternoon, commissioners. Good afternoon. My name is Octavia Collins. I do reside in Richmond County, and I am the president of the Richmond County Neighborhood Association Alliance. I must say I agree with everything that Ms. Jeter as well as Ms. Hobbs have stated. It is a great concern. I believe on June 8, Mr. Walls, as well as Mr. Bowen, we met with the Turpin Hill Neighborhood Association. And as I'm sure they can attest, that the individual was not at all pleased. Because it is their neighborhood. And as I've stated, and I may sound like a broken record, I stand with the neighborhoods. Seepage, yes. I'll use my weekly waste as example. When the trash truck comes by and pick up my trash and go down our street, you can notice a difference on the street like someone actually pulled water up and down the street. I noticed that some of the commissioners had concerns as well. as they should have. That's why we ask questions. And that's why we trust the commission planning and zoning to make the right choices based on the information that's provided because we know you gotta use the information provided. Our citizens deserve to live in a safe environment. And as you know, things happen. all the time. And based on that, I know you wanted us to be brief. So I would say consider all the pluses, the minuses, and please make the right decision for the community. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, commissioners. My name is Kiana Lighton-Solomon. I'm a Turpin Hill resident and also the vice president of Turpin Neighborhood Association. So my comments are going to be in line with Ms. Hobbs and with Ms. Octavia also already spoke about. For the project, I live 0.7 miles from this proposed facility. That means two minutes. I could literally walk there. The next house, the closest house to that facility is 0.3 miles. You can let it go on your porch and look and see where that place would be. So my main concern is that we have been working for three years to build a really great sense of consensus and trust between the neighborhood and our city government through the GIC process. Just last year, in 2025, we had a plan come before the commission and be approved by resolution for revitalization in the area. That plan took three meetings with community members in the daytime. They took off work to come state clearly what they want for their neighborhood. Over the past three years, we had a meeting every four months and had numerous people come out to also state their plan. That plan is 33 pages, and there's nowhere in those pages that says we want this. We've spoken very clearly and very plainly about what we want for the vision of our community, and this is just not it. Additionally, the time that we took to meet with these individuals at our community center, the details were not all clear. We asked questions. We did not get all the clear answers that we deserved to get, and even today, there are still questions that they can't answer for you. They cannot make any guarantees for you or any promises for you. But what I can tell you is that I live there. I moved there on purpose. I was gone for 10 years from the city. When I decided to move back home, I said, I'm coming to Turpin Hill because that's my family's community. And I can tell you that every day there is a new smell in the air. There's people that have already been here doing the work that they want to do as far as factories, facilities, and they can't guarantee, they can't stop the smells. And despite the smells, we're still there. We're still actively engaged in the planning process. Just this year, there was $1.8 million guaranteed for new homes in the area. In 2024, the city put $3 million for lead remediation. Everything that I'm telling you is a narrative that we're moving away from contamination and away from things like this. So it would be crazy to say yes, to allow this to happen in the area that has been so committed to growth. And those are my comments.

Thank you. Thank you, ladies, for sharing those comments with us. Is there anybody in the audience that supports this petition? Okay. Okay. All right. Seeing none, we'll move to the staff recommendations.

All right. So based on the proposal at hand, based on the findings and information presented, distance of being about... 1300 feet from a residential zone area and some of the operations that were discussed in the meeting planning and development staff recommends approval of the special exception to establish solid waste transfer station with the following conditions we did add an additional condition based on the discussion from the pre-meeting so the very first condition is Proposed lighting fixtures shall be downward facing to minimize glare and light spillover onto adjacent properties. Two, no outdoor materials shall be stored outside the building overnight on the property. Number three, per the condition of the approved letter of consistency adopted by the Augusta Commission, quote, all solid waste accepted or collected at the transfer station shall be disposed at all, I'm sorry, at the Augusta Dean's Bridge road landfill, unquote. And then also the fact that Construction related waste shall be transferred to the waste facility in Jefferson County as stated. Jenkins? Jenkins County. I'm sorry, I'm not from Georgia. Jenkins County, correction. All right, and then number, I guess this is number four now. The development must comply with all aspects of the Augusta Tree Ordinance. Number five, approval of the special exception request does not constitute approval of the conceptual site plan submitted with the special exception application. The proposed development shall obtain site plan approval in compliance with the site plan regulations of Augusta, Georgia prior to construction commencing on the property. And finally, number six, the development shall comply with all development standards and regulations set forth by the city of Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia, as amended at the time of development. And that concludes staff's presentation or recommendation.

To the petitioner, if this was approved, do you accept those recommendations? Okay, Chair, we'll entertain a motion.

I make a motion to approve with staff recommendation. Second.

Okay, there's been a motion and a second to approve with staff recommendations. We'll do a roll call vote. Henry, could you do a roll call vote for us? There has been a motion to approve with the staff recommendations and a second. In malice. In malice, okay.

That's a roll call vote to approve with staff recommendations. That's correct. All right, Commissioner O'Neill, how do we vote?

No.

Yes or no?

No.

Commissioner Prince?

No.

Commissioner Davis?

No.

Commissioner Malice?

Yes.

Commissioner Laracy?

No.

Commissioner McKnight?

No.

Okay. Commissioner Clark?

No.

Commissioner Smith?

Abstain.

Commissioner Owens?

Yes.

Commissioner Spenson? No. Commissioner Cooks?

No.

All right. So Z, special exception 2612 has failed. Has not been approved.

Has not been approved. All right. So we need a subsequent motion to deny.

No? Okay.

All right. Okay. So that recommendation of... Okay. So that's been denied, right? Yeah, because... Yeah, that was a motion to approve. So there's no recommendation. So we have to take the subsequent motion. I mean, a motion to deny.

Thank you.

Okay, so the recommendation will be to deny this petition that'll be moved forward to the Augusta Commission on August 18. All right, let's move forward.

Okay, Mr. Chair, members of the commission, if you'd like, I'll go ahead and read the next item into the record, if I may. Next item on the agenda, sir? Yes, let's move forward. Okay, next item before you, item number six, Z26-11, petitioned by Mr. Matthew Lines.

I hope I pronounced that correctly.

Hold on. on behalf of Pumpkin Center Properties, LLLP, requesting a rezoning from A, or Agricultural, and B2, General Business, to Zone LI, Light Industrial, to develop a fence supply business affecting properties containing approximately 1.94 acres, located at 3705 Benchmark Drive, parcel number 029-0-002-01-0, District 3, Commissioner Catherine Smith-Rice.

Give me a minute while I scroll down.

Okay, here we go. I'm gonna go ahead and move forward with a summary of the request. Okay, the petition requests a rezoning of one tract totaling 1.94 acres, located at 3705 Benchmark Drive at the intersection of Flowing Wells Road. The property is currently split zone A and B2, that's agricultural and general business, and is undeveloped. The request is to rezone the property to LI, or light industrial, to allow the development of a fence supply business. The concept plan submitted with the rezoning application proposes the following improvements. Bullet point number one, a 6,000 square foot office slash warehouse building consisting of 1,500 square feet of office space, 4,500 square feet of warehouse space, 12 off-street parking spaces, a six-foot chain-link fence enclosed in the property, a septic drain field area, and a stormwater detention pond. According to the submitted letter of intent, the proposed outdoor storage area located at the rear of the property will be used for materials commonly associated with fencing business, including a vinyl, wood, and metal fencing gates, hardware, and related supplies. Okay. Comprehensive plan consistency. I'm just going to read off the first sentence right there on top of that paragraph. According to the 2023 comprehensive plan, the property is located within the Bel Air character area. Okay, and the findings are as follows, and they are findings one through seven. Number one, the property is surrounded by a mix of zoning districts, including B2, general business, to the west, east, and south. Adjacent properties to the north include LI, B2, and A zoning districts. Number two, on Tuesday, October 19th, 2021, the Augusta Commission approved a rezoning from B1 to B2. That was neighborhood business and general business with the following conditions. The conditions are one through four. Number one, to be consistent with the documents submitted with the rezoning application. The applicant shall apply for a special exception for a business park in accordance with Section 22-2F of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance of Augusta, Georgia, in order to receive approval for the business park for the Augusta Commission. Number two, that's condition number two. Any development on the property requiring an individual on-site sanitary sewer septic system shall be designed and installed in accordance with Richmond County health department regulations at the time of development. Condition number three, approval of this rezoning request does not constitute approval of the concept site plan submitted with this rezoning application. Site plan approval in compliance with the site plan regulations of Augusta, Georgia is required for the actual development prior to the construction commencing of the property. And condition number four, development of the property shall comply with all development standards and regulations set forth by the city of Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia, as amended, including the Augusta tree ordinance as amended at the time of development. Now moving forward with our findings, finding number three. Per the Georgia Department of Transportation, or GDOT, functional classification map, 2026 benchmark drive is classified as a local road. And number four, according to the FEMA flood insurance maps, or FIRM, the properties are not located within a special flood hazard area. Okay, number five, finding number five, public water is available to serve the site. However, sanitary sewer service is not currently available in the immediate area. Number six, according to the Augusta Richmond County GIS data, no localized wetlands are identified on the property. And number seven, at the completion of this report, staff has not received any inquiries regarding this petition. Moving ahead, engineering, or I should say comments. No comments have been received from traffic engineering, engineering, or utilities. That concludes my presentation. Mr. Chair, members of the commission.

All right, thank you. Was the petitioner present? All right, sir, if you would come up, give us your name, your county of residence, and any additional details on your project.

My name is Matthew Lyons, and I live in Columbia County. We're just seeking to rezone from the B zoning to light industrial.

Okay. All right, commissioners, do you have any comments or questions of the petitioner? All right, seeing none, anybody in the audience object to this petition? All right, staff recommendations.

All right, planning and development staff recommends approval of the rezoning request to LI light industrial with the following conditions. There are a total of five. The very first is any outdoor storage shall be enclosed by a six-foot solid board privacy fence or wall. Number two, any proposed lighting fixtures must be directed downward and not towards buildings. Number three, an undisturbed 20-foot street yard shall be established along the entire frontage along Flowing Wells Road and Benchmark Drive. Trees planted within the street yard along Flowing Wells Road shall consist of a large caliper tree species selected from the approved IGO list identified in the Augusta Tree Ordinance. Number four, the approval of the rezoning request does not constitute approval of conceptual site plan approval and compliance of the site plan regulations of Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia prior to construction commencing on the property. And finally, number five, development of the property shall comply with all development standards and regulations set forth by Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia at the time of development. That concludes staff's recommendation.

All right, to the petitioner, do you accept those recommendations? Yes, sir. All right, chair, we'll entertain a motion.

Second.

All right, it has been moved and seconded to approve with the staff recommendations. All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed? All right. All right, sir. Oh, Cooks. He said yes, okay. All right, so the recommendation will be moved forward to the Augusta Commission on August 18th, 2026 to approve this with the staff recommendations. Okay, thank you. All right, thank you, sir. All right, let's proceed.

Okay, Mr. Chair, members of the Commission, once again, Todd Kennedy from Planning and Development Staff here to present this next item before you. It is Z26-13. It's a petition by Leon Luna on behalf of Stephen Childs requesting a rezoning from Zones Agricultural B1 and B2. B2, and LI to rezone to LI in its entirety to develop an outdoor recreational vehicle and boat storage facility affecting property containing 6.55 acres located at 2364 Gordon Highway. Parcel map 067-0-010-00-0. District 4 Commissioner Lonnie Wimberly. Let me go ahead and I'll proceed on here.

I'm going to scroll down.

Okay, the summary of the request is as follows. The applicant seeks to rezone 6.55 acre track from B1, B2, A to LI in its entirety to develop an RV and boat storage. The proposed project will consist of approximately 247 storage units, primarily featuring open gravel storage spaces designed to accommodate recreational vehicles, boats, campers, travel trailers, utility trailers, and other oversized vehicles. A portion of the facility will include covered storage spaces with overhead protective structures to provide customers with additional protection from weather-related elements. The concept plan presented with the rezoning application proposes the following. approximately 247 total storage spaces, open grave storage areas, covered RV and boat storage spaces, fully fenced perimeter, controlled electronic gate access, security camera surveillance system, wide drive aisles designed for large vehicle access, site lighting for safety and security, online account management and payment capabilities, on-site maintenance and operational oversight, Okay, comprehensive plan consistency. According to the 2023 comprehensive plan, the property is in the South Augusta character area. The findings are as follows, and they are as follows, numbers one through 10. Okay, number one, there are no recent zoning petitions on the property. Number two, the conceptual site plan identifies lighting throughout the facility for security purposes. At the time of site plan review, all exterior lighting shall be designed in accordance to section 3-A, outdoor streets slash lighting of the comprehensive zoning ordinance to minimize off-site glare and impacts on adjacent properties. 3. ACCORDING TO THE ZONING NARRATIVE PROVIDED BY THE APPLICANT, THIS PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THE INCREASED DEMAND FOR DEDICATED STORAGE SOLUTIONS, RV, BOATS, TRAILERS, AND OTHER SIMILAR RECREATIONAL ASSETS. 4. PUBLIC WATER and sewer are present in the immediate area. Number five, GDOT, Georgia Department of Transportation Classification Map 2026 classifies Gordon Highway as a newly traveled principal arterial road and divided lane highway, or multi-lane highway, excuse me. Number six, according to FEMA flood insurance rate maps or firm, the properties are not located within the special flood hazard area. Number seven, according to the Augusta-Richmond County GIS layer, there are no wetlands located on the properties. Number eight, adjacent zoning districts to the north include a mix of B1 and A, To the east, B1. A, furthermore, agricultural. And LI, light industrial. To the west, to the west is agricultural. And PUD, or PUD, with stipulations to the south, and to the south is R1C, one-family residential. And number nine, the proposed change in zoning to LI would not be consistent with the 2023 comprehensive plan. Number 10, at the time of the completion of this report, staff has not received any inquiries regarding this rezoning petition. And moving ahead with our comments, no comments have been received by traffic engineering, engineering or utilities. However, fire has provided the following comments. A fire hydrant will need to be installed to provide protection for all enclosed buildings required by the International Fire Code 507.5.1 as amended by 120-3-3 of the rules and regulations of the state of Georgia. The next comment, all access gates will meet access requirements of the International Fire Code 503.6. Mr. Chair, members of the Commission, that concludes my presentation for you today.

All right, thank you, sir. Is the petitioner present? All right, sir, if you would come up, give us your name, county of residence, and any additional details on your project.

Good afternoon, commissioners. My name is Leon Luna. I reside in Columbia County, and I am the president of Freedom Gate Solutions, LLC. I am pretty much requesting to rezone the property of 2364 Gordon Highway, which was previously a used car lot to a boat and RV facility. STORAGE FACILITY AND UTILITY VEHICLES WHEN I GO WITH UTILITY VEHICLES I'M GOING FOR LIKE TRAVEL TRAILERS WHICH CAN ACCOMMODATE LIKE A VEHICLE OR SOMETHING YOU CAN'T HAVE IT IN HOA WHICH IS NO LONGER THAN A LENGTH OF 18 FOOT SO BY 10 BY 18 FOOT ALL VEHICLES ON THE PROPERTY WILL BE OPERATIONAL THERE WILL BE NO STORAGE OF VEHICLES WITH FLAT TIRES OR JUST just to have there because they can't put it at their property. Pretty much we're kind of facilitating anything that's got a homeowners association that you can't have there, but we can sort at our facility.

All right, thank you, sir. Commissioners, do you have questions or comments of the petitioner? Okay, Commissioner Malice, then Commissioner Smith.

The only, I think it's a great idea, we need it. I just don't want any 18 wheelers, so anything like that, that was my biggest concern.

Absolutely, ma'am, there won't be none of that.

Okay, thank you.

That answered my question. Okay. Additional questions or comments from commissioners? Commissioner Spencer.

Are we able to have that under, in writing? Yes, thank you. the number of writing in the staff.

Yeah, I drafted up some language that should address that issue.

All right. Additional questions or comments? All right. Anybody in the audience oppose this petition? All right, Miss Cheetah, would you like to come up? ALL RIGHT, IF YOU COULD GIVE US YOUR NAME, COUNTY OF RESIDENCE.

PATRICIA JETER AND COUNTY IS RICHMOND COUNTY. MY QUESTION, WELL, WHY NOT STORE IT IN YOUR COUNTY? Why did, you know, I know I shouldn't be addressing the petitioner, but I just spoke.

Yeah, if you could direct it to us.

Yes, I understand that there is a need for storage for us boats, but they do have storage facilities that allow you to store those boats over in those storage facilities. I JUST SPOKE TO THE COMMISSION ABOUT A WEEK AGO IN REGARDS TO THE TITLE VII ORDINANCE WHICH IS BUILDINGS AND CONSTRUCTION ORDINANCE THAT IS NOT BEING PROPERLY ENFORCED. IT'S THERE TO PROTECT THE AESTHETICS OF RICHMOND COUNTY. but it's not on a regular inspection schedule to be able to upkeep the aesthetics of businesses, signs, signage, and so forth in Richmond County. So that's why the property values are not where they should be because we're not following our own ordinances that are in place to bring up the value in Richmond County. So that being said, I did do some research up and down Gordon Highway, and we currently have five mobile homes businesses up and down the corridor that leads into Southwest Augusta as well as South Augusta from downtown, which are aesthetically unpleasing and stifling the property values in Richmond County. If you would like for developers to come and continue to develop in Richmond County, THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS CAN DEVALUE THE ADJACENT PROPERTIES. I KNOW THAT A LOT OF PETITIONERS COME FORWARD, THEY WANT TO GET THE PETITION APPROVED AND THEY SAY, OH, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY FLAT TIRES AND THIS AND THAT, BUT ONCE THEY GET THAT PROPERTY You look over there, they got flat tires, beat up boats. You can see it straight from the street, Gordon Highway. So if you're going to approve this petition, it should be some... can should be some things some some some issues in place to protect the aesthetics the corridor gordon highway is very long very long and it leads it it it comes from downtown all the way up to full gordon and into grovetown Gordon Highway, right now, currently, Gordon Highway is aesthetically unpleasing. So we're going to bring up South Augusta, Southwest Augusta, this particular corridor that leads from downtown into Southwest Augusta. Putting these types of businesses just stifles that. It just makes it worse. We have raggedy mobile home parks that are not being inspected in accordance with the Title VII ordinance currently. Now we're looking at a petitioner that wants to rezone six acres of land and put a bunch of boats that are going to be seen from the highway. What are we going to do? What safeguards are we going to have in place to protect the aesthetic value of our community? There should be fencing, there should be proper lighting, there should be a number of safeguards in place that will actually bring, it would not directly impact, negatively impact one of the largest artery highways leading into Richmond County. I did hear a lot of planning and zoning recommendations in regards to this business, but I'm asking that you deny this petition. We don't need any more storage facilities on Gordon Highway. It's just going to continue to add and compound to the already unpleasing aesthetics that's currently there. We need to, what we need to be looking at is the ordinance that are in place and put them on a proper inspection schedule under Title VII to make the current business owners maintain the properties that are there. Thank you for hearing me.

Thank you. All right, staff recommendations. Oh, okay. Sorry, Commissioner Davis.

So going along with Ms. Jeter, I would just like to ask, how are, like, are you going to have some type of fencing or cover across the front? Because I agree with her totally. We approved a car repair business.

Commissioner Davis, use your mic. I'm sorry, I thought it was in my bed.

Yes, sir. I just want to know what type of fencing or covering would you have in the front? Because I agree with this young lady totally.

Yes, sir. According to our concept plan, we will have fencing all the way around the property, and we will comply with the tree ordinance as well, especially the back part of the property, which is 50 feet. We will have trees, will not be knocked down. Same thing with the residential area that's about to be built. Same thing, we will not knock down any trees, so that will be kind of the privacy right there. We also have the fencing with the mesh on there, so that way you can't see for the rest of the recreational vehicles. Okay, thank you.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS. ALL RIGHT. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS.

ALL RIGHT. AND THIS IS THE PETITION THAT THE RECOMMENDATION HAD CHANGED FROM L.I. TO B.2. SO PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT STAFF RECOMMEND THE NOW THE REZONING REQUEST TO L.I. LIGHT INDUSTRIAL RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE REZONING TO B.2 WHICH IS SUPPORTIVE OF this request with the following conditions and there are a total of eight the very first one is addressing the oversized vehicles Specifically it states that storage of vehicles shall be limited to RVs or recreational vehicles, boats, campers, travel trailers and utility trailers. No oversized vehicles including 18 wheelers are permitted on the property. Number two, all storage shall be contained within a fully enclosed building. However, the storage of boats, recreation vehicles, or RVs may be allowed outdoors as long as they are deemed road ready, tech operational, and covered and completely screened from view of adjoining residential lots. Number three, that no individual rental storage unit shall be used for any purpose other than the storage of personal or business property. Number four, limited out overnight Accommodations on on-site managerial and security personnel is permitted only within the principal building. Overnight occupancy and accommodation within any storage unit is strictly prohibited. Number five, the facility shall be enclosed by a fence and secured with control access gates. Adequate lighting shall be provided to allow for 24-hour access to all rented and leased storage spaces. Security cameras shall be installed at all access gates and building entrances. Number six. The facility shall provide a 20-foot side and rear buffer yard when adjacent to any residential or zoning district or residential use. Required fencing and landscaping shall be installed in accordance to GUS tree ordinance. Number seven, the proposed use shall comply with the dumpster enclosure requirements of section 21-3. Number eight, the development of the property shall, or development of the property shall comply with all development standards and regulations set forth by Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia as amended at the time of development. And that concludes staff's recommendation.

All right, sir. Do you accept the recommendation of the denial of the rezone of the LI, but the approval of the B2? Yes, sir. Okay. All right. Commissioner Davis.

Can we add the recommendation that the front Gordon Highway be screened also? Because I heard you say the residential was screened.

Yeah, let's see. There's number five. There's the one that talks about the facility shall be enclosed by a fence and secured with control access gates. We could add, how would you want it? You said like a solid board fence or a wall?

A solid fence or what he mentioned was fine as long as it's included in the recommendation.

Okay and so we could say that facilities shall be enclosed closed by a fence and secured with control access gates specifically in the front to install a solid board or solid board fence or wall to screen from from the street view or something like that okay.

All right, sir. Do you accept those immediate recommendations?

Yes.

Yes, I do. All right. You got a question?

I got a question.

Okay. Commissioner O'Neill.

So you're in with, and you're, you understand what we're trying to accomplish with the front of the street, right?

Yes, sir.

And to put a solid board fence up there might also look a little heavy, heavy industrial. Would you mind put trees up there as well to

POSSIBLE. I CAN PUT SOME TREES UP. RIGHT NOW THERE'S A FENCE ALREADY THERE FROM THE USE CAR LOT. I WAS GOING TO PUT THE MESH ON THERE SO YOU CAN'T SEE. BECAUSE IT IS SHARED WITH ANOTHER PIECE OF PROPERTY, ANOTHER BUILDING RIGHT THERE. BUT YES, I WOULD MEET ANY COMPLIANCE ON IT.

What I would state to that is with the provisions of the Gus tree ordinance there is a front yard requirement and the trees are supposed to be large trees spaced 45 feet from each other. So that would be in place in conjunction with the wall or fence requirement.

So we know we're trying to achieve could we just leave it up to staff to do that at the site plan review to make sure that we get what it is accomplished that we want to accomplish by using their expertise and whatever they deem is necessary. Yes, sir. Commissioner Smith.

I want to make sure, because I'm pretty sure where you're going. The back of your piece of property is Madrid Drive, where they did construction recently and cut that part off, right? Yes, sir. And so we're talking about residential. There is no residential. Directly across the street is Five Pines Bar, and then there's a railroad track that runs parallel with Gordon Highway. So there's never going to be any residential stuff across the road from you. Am I correct about that?

That's correct, sir. There's nothing in front.

There's nothing out there but commercial property on the side you're on and on the opposite side it is that one bar and it is a railroad track that runs for miles all the way out to Harlem and there's never gonna be any development over there. So that's what I wanted to make sure that me and you were talking about the same piece of property.

Yes, sir. The only residential would be to, as you're looking at the property to the right where they're developing the new HUD, and all the way towards the back of the property where there's residential area there, which we will comply with the tree ordinance and not remove any trees.

But the front is never going to be facing any residential property. That's correct. Thank you.

Okay, but let's deal with this petition specifically. Okay, there has been a motion and a second to approve this petition with conditions.

I think it should be a denial and then approval.

Well, it's all one. You agreed to the conditions that the staff has recommended the denial, but the approval of the B2. Yes, sir. All right. So the motion is to approve the B2 instead of the LI, correct?

Yes.

All right. Second. Is the second stand? All right. It's been moved and seconded to approve the B2 instead of the LI. With the staff? Yeah, sure. With the staff recommendations.

All right, so that is a motion to approve to the B2 zoning with the staff amended special conditions for Z2613. All right, Commissioner O'Neill, let's go backwards. How do you vote?

Yes.

Commissioner Prince?

Yes.

Davis?

Yes.

Malice? Yes. Laracy? Yes. McKnight?

McKnight left. He's gone? McKnight is out.

Oh, okay. Clark. Yes. Smith. Yes. Spencer. Yes. And Cooks. Yes.

Cool beans.

All right. So Z2613 has been approved.

All right, sir. The recommendation for approval of the B2 will be forwarded to the Augusta Commission on Tuesday, August 18th. Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you. I think we still got a couple more items, Commissioner, so hang on.

Let's see. Yeah. All right. Oh, good. All right. Yeah, I think that's about it for this presentation right here. So, but Mr. Chair, I'll go ahead and just proceed on with the next item real quick. Next item before you is number nine, and that's PDR-26-01, and that's a request for concurrence with the Planned Development Riverfront Review Board to approve a petition by Will Buchanan on behalf of Queensborough National Bank and Trust requesting approval for exterior site plan improvements for a property situated in the planned development riverfront PDR zone located at 1301 Broad Street, parcel map 036-4-129-01-0. The property is in the zoning district B2, general business, district one, Commissioner Jordan Johnson. This project received conditional approval from all review and development agencies on July 23rd, 2026. And that's just my quick briefing of that item, sir.

All right. Thank you, sir. Chair, we'll entertain a motion for concurrence. Motion to approve. Second. All right. It's been moved and seconded to approve the request for concurrence. All in favor? Aye. All right, any opposed? All right, thank you. Anything from the legal session?

Yes, I thought about it longer. Let's go back to five, or is it? Yeah, five. The denial. The denial. Let's go ahead and motion to deny.

Okay, so we are going to do?

Yeah, we're going to go ahead and motion.

Okay. All right, so going back to five, so we need a motion to deny this particular petition, the special exception 2612. Motion to deny. Second. You got something you want to add really quickly, Commissioner Smith?

I just wanted to be clear that we're denying... The first part, the general, I'm sorry.

The approval, the recommendation. No, this was the waste. Oh, okay. Waste transfer station.

All right, I'm sorry.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, we went back. Okay, so there is now a motion to deny and a proper second. All in favor of the denial? Aye. All right, any opposed? Yeah, it was her and yeah, he was staying. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So now we have a recommendation to deny that will be forwarded to the Augusta Commission.

Right. Okay.

All right. Anything else? Anything else for the good of the order? All right. Seeing none, motion to adjourn. Oh, wait. Hold on. Hold on. I was just reminded. So, unfortunately, we'll be losing Attorney Pitts. This is her last meeting with us. So, we appreciate her. We appreciate her service to us and always keeping us above board. Yeah, not a trouble. So, we thank you and we wish you much success in your future endeavors. All right.