The Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission on Tuesday approved rezoning a 4.17-acre residential tract in an unincorporated area of the county and then agreed it should be annexed it into the city of Hinesville.
Dryden Enterprises Inc. owns the property, which will be developed as a phase of Griffin Park subdivision.
The LCPC first voted to rezone the property from R-2A — defined as a single-, two- and mobile-home residential district — to planned-unit development. The commission then approved annexing the property into Hinesville. The annexation petition will come before the city council April 3.
LCPC zoning administrator Gabriele Hartage told planning commissioners that per state law the property had to be rezoned before it could be annexed. Hartage presented the rezoning petition and annexation request to the planning commission.
Planning commissioners also approved a special exception to allow Sylvester Martin to run a small-engine repair business on his rural property off Reuben Wells Road in Liberty County. The property is zoned agricultural.
Martin told the commission he has lived on the property for 27 years and has been repairing small engines for nine years. He said his neighbors would not have a problem with his business. LCPC staff had recommended disapproval for Martin’s home-occupation request. LCPC zoning analyst Joey Patenaude said the ordinance prohibits these types of home occupations in an agricultural zone. Therefore, the commission would have to approve a special exception to the ordinance, Patenaude said. The LCPC approved the special exception with the condition that it would apply only to Martin and not to homeowners who might live in his home after him. LCPC Chairman Jack Shuman said that if Martin relocates, the special exception would “go away.”
The planning commission also discussed a possible conflict over flood maps regarding a final-plat request for phase II of Villages on Marne. The LCPC approved the request.
P.C. Simonton engineer Marcus Sack, speaking on behalf of Horsecreek Partners Inc., told the planning commission that the latest flood-map information from a FEMA consultant would not place this phase of the development in a flood zone.
Prior to the flood study, fill was placed on site and an as-built survey was performed, Sack said. The new maps that recently were released did not include the as-built data, he said. The data was provided to the mapping consultant for FEMA and the flood maps have been revised, Sack told planning commissioners. However, not all flood-map resources have yet been updated, the engineer said.
Sack said prior to final approval of the project, all the parties involved will have the most up-to-date and accurate information.
“Dewberry (the company) has talked to FEMA, FEMA has talked to DNR, and DNR has talked to Dewberry,” he said.
 LCPC Executive Director Jeff Ricketson briefed planning commissioners on planning-and-zoning decisions that came before the county’s various governments.
The city of Allenhurst denied a request for an adult-care home to locate on Dunlevie Road, Ricketson reported. Ricketson said several members of the Allenhurst City Council apparently voiced concerns over possible safety issues.
When the request came before the LCPC last month, Allenhurst resident David Sapp and Allenhurst Mayor Pro-tem Amanda Cox said they were worried that residents could drown should they wander off from the proposed assisted-care home and fall into a nearby creek. They also said the 3.14-acre property where the home would have been located has drainage issues.
The applicant, Deborah Barnes, promised she would properly maintain the property and would speak to the owner about fencing. Barnes told planning commissioners she was an experienced health-care provider and carefully would monitor residents to ensure their safety.
LCPC staff recommended approval. The planning commission voted, 6-2, to approve Barnes’ request.
Ricketson said the Walthourville City Council approved a rezoning petition from Mark and Carolyn Walthour to rezone 3 acres from agricultural residential to multi-family residential within Walthourville. The couple plans to convert modular school-room units into residential duplexes in the first phase of the project.
The planning commission recommended approval for the rezoning petition.
The Liberty County Board of Commissioners approved resident Donald Klotz’s special-exception request to build a freestanding garage on his property at East First Street.
The LCPC recommended approval for Klotz’s request last month.