The Oconee County Board of Commissioners, in a 3 to 1 vote on Tuesday, turned down a request for a commercial development on Mars Hill Road at Bell Road that would have included offices and warehouses.
The Board denied the request by Chad Keller’s CK Capital after more than 60 people filled the Commission Chamber at the Oconee County Administrative Building for three rezone hearings.
A vast majority of those in the audience stood up when asked if they were there to oppose the Mars Hill Road Rezone request.
During the public hearing, five persons spoke in opposition to Keller’s request, citing increased traffic on Mars Hill Road, noise and light pollution to the Timber Ridge subdivision that borders the proposed development on two sides, the danger for children who play in the neighborhood, and the disruption of the neighborhood life.
In separate action, the Board on Tuesday unanimously approved a rezone for a three-building medical complex on U.S 441 at Spartan Lane and a special use permit for a recreational facility in The Village at Malcom Bridge on Malcom Bridge Road.
Only one person spoke in opposition to the request for the rezone for the medical complex on U.S. 441, and no one opposed the recreational facility on Malcom Bridge Road.
Rodney Jones and Hank Randolph, partners in The Village at Malcom Bridge, told the commissioners that they intend to have a restaurant within the complex that will sell beer, wine, and alcohol by the drink and said that patrons would be able to take drinks with them into the bowling alley and other parts of the complex.
Commissioner Amrey Harden cautioned Jones, telling him that the county’s alcoholic beverage ordinance only allows restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages. The county ordinance does not allow licenses for bars that are not part of restaurants.
Mars Hill Road Request
Keller, through CK Capital, was asking the county to rezone 14.9 acres on Mars Hill Road at Bell Road from AG (Agricultural) to a mix of B-2 (Highway Business), OBP (Office-Business Park), and OIP (Office-Institutional-Professional) so he could build a nine-lot commercial development.
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| Keller (Standing) 7/8/2025 |
The proposed commercial subdivision is surrounded on two sides by Timber Ridge subdivision, and Keller was proposing that most of the lots abutting the residential properties be zoned OIP to provide a transition between the more intense business uses and the residential properties.
Originally, Keller had asked that the two lots on Mars Hill Road be zoned B-2, but Frank Pittman, from Pittman and Greer Engineering, representing Keller, said at the meeting on Tuesday that Keller would accept that those properties also be zoned OPB and OIP, as the planning staff and the Planning Commission had recommended.
Pittman said the adjoining business park is sold out, making the park proposed by Keller a helpful expansion, and “there would be a lot of job creation with this. We're estimating a $25 to $30 million development once this thing's built out.”
Speakers In Opposition
Gerry Bales said he has lived in Timber Ridge subdivision for 25 years and “I never thought this property would be anything else but residential.” He said the subdivision has about 100 residents, and about 30 of those are children.
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| Bales Before Commission 7/8/2025 |
Bales said the proposed development would “create additional noise, light pollution” and “there are many children and the parents in our neighborhood that will no longer feel safe.”
He said the rezone would produce increased traffic on Mars Hill Road and on Bell Road.
Yaping Li said “We have lots of kids at a young age, because we have the Malcolm Bridge Elementary School, Middle school there.” Both are nearby on Malcom Bridge Road. She said that a 100 foot buffer would be needed to create a separation from the development if it were approved.
Charles Jones said “We have, within a quarter mile, an elementary school and a middle school and probably within three to four miles is the high school. We have a lot of traffic on that road.”
Downs Preschool is located across Mars Hill Road from the entrance to the proposed business park.
Danny Delgado told the commissioners that he moved to the subdivision a year ago and “we found something in this neighborhood that we had never experienced before...We discovered real neighbors.”
“There are so many children in this neighborhood,” he said. “It is so refreshing to be able to have a neighborhood that's safe enough for kids.”
Don Norris said “I'm concerned about the light pollution, the noise pollution, the traffic increase.”
Commission Discussion
Commissioner Amrey Harden told Pittman “I have concerns about the daycare or the pre-school, whatever you want to call it, coming out there at that entrance.”
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| Horton 7/8/2025 |
A sheriff’s deputy is stationed at the entrance and exit to Downs Preschool at present, he said.
“Mr. Keller,” Commissioner Chuck Horton said, “By chance, as this thing was going public, and Planning Commission meetings, whatever. Did you ever take the time to talk with these people?”
When Keller said he had talked to one persons, Horten asked him “How many we got in here tonight?”
Both Harden and Horton questioned Pittman about why he was showing on the concept plan a “gravel storage yard and loading area behind a single story office/warehouse.”
“I don't think there's necessarily any specific users,” Pittman said, “but we showed it on this concept plan in case there was a user that came along that needed that kind of use. And that may be a landscape company."
“So we more than likely would have some kind of heavy equipment?” Horton asked.
“Could be, yes, sir,” Pittman said, but only on the side adjoining the existing business park, not on the side adjoining the neighborhood.
Harden made the motion to deny the rezone. Horton seconded the motion. Commissioner Mark Thomas voted against the motion to deny the rezone request.
U.S. 441 Request
Manor Holdings LLC of was asking the county to combine three parcels now zoned AR (Agricultural Residential) and AG (Agricultural) to OIP (Office-Institutional-Profession) for a three-building medical office complex.
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| Kirk Before Commission 7/8/2025 |
One of the lots fronts on U.S. 441. One fronts on both U.S. 441 and Spartan Lane. And one has no frontage on either road.
Access to the three buildings will be from a driveway on Spartan Lane.
Sean Kirk, Matt Richardson, and Brad Stephens, the three partners in Manor Holding, all spoke at the Commission meeting on Tuesday. The three live in the neighborhood off Spartan Lane.
Kirk said he decided to invest in the property “to guide it and influence it to become something that was amenable to the neighborhood.”
“I saw it as a significant marriage between my personal desires,” he continued. “My desire to generate income for my family but also to partner with my neighbors to make this something that would not only better the neighborhood, but add to the 441 development corridor in a way that I feel is the most appropriate.”
Gonzalo Galdamez, whose home is on the adjoining lot on Spartan Lane to the proposed development, also spoke in favor of the development.
John Thorsen, head of school at Athens Academy, signed up to speak against the rezone, but he said “I'm not really opposed to this project.”
He said he was looking for some “concessions,” including additional road improvements and consideration of the water retention plans. “We have had some flooding issues down Spartan Lane,” he said.
The Board approved the rezone request after a discussion of the traffic problems and the stormwater retention requirements.
The Village At Malcom Bridge
Jones and Randolph, through their Lenru Development LLC, were asking the Commission on Tuesday to grant them a Special Use Approval for the 6.6 acres that make up the Village at Malcom Bridge.
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| Brinkley 7/8/2025 |
The proposed entertainment center, to be called The Village Clubhouse, is proposed for a 14,980 square foot building on the north side of the property.
The Village Clubhouse is to include “state-of-the-art bowling lanes, cutting-edge golf simulators, an extensive arcade, and a restaurant operated by a respected local restaurateur,” according to the planning narrative.
Jones told the commissioners “We've talked to neighbors over the last few years, talked to other people in the county, trying to figure out what we can do that will bring people here, that will keep people in Oconee County. And this is the idea we've come up with.”
Two people in addition to Jones and Randolph spoke in favor of the request for the special use permit, including Dawn Brinkley, who owns Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery in The Village at Malcom Bridge.
Traffic at present is slow, she said, and her business “would greatly benefit from The Village Clubhouse," Brinkley said.
Naomi Ibanez, speaking on behalf of another business owner, said the sports complex “would be great for all of the businesses in the shopping center.”
Alcohol Discussion
When the hearing had ended, Commissioner Harden told Jones that he wanted to “make sure I understand your business model. Of course, you're going to have a restaurant, which you would be allowed to serve alcohol. Is it going be separately run from the amusement side of the business?”
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| Harden 7/8/2025 |
“No, sir,” Jones responded. “You'll be able to get a beer, a glass of wine, and go to the bowling lane if you choose.”
“Well, now, we have a completely separate alcohol ordinance that deals with that,” Harden said. “I'm not talking about the details of that ordinance, because it calls for a full menu. And a percentage and all that.”
“I'm just in my mind, I'm sitting there going, okay, you know, I know restaurants are a tough business,” Harden said, “and I just was curious if there's not an operating restaurant going on, would you still have the amusement side going?”
“We could, because it's in the whole business plan,” Jones said.
The revised alcohol sales ordinance passed by the Commission on Dec. 3 of last year states that restaurants must earn a minimum of 75 percent of its gross income from the sale of meals and appetizers.
The license does not allow for alcohol sales at bars that are not part of restaurants.
Harden then turned to the operating hours of the entertainment center, and Jones agreed to close no later than 10:30 p.m.
That restriction was added included in the motion to approve the request for the special use needed to operate the entertainment center. The motion passed unanimously.
Other Action
At the beginning of the meeting on Tuesday, during the public comment section, Jeff and Jennifer Morgan again spoke about their concern about safety of travel on Colham Ferry Road.
Their 17-year-old son William died in a single-car accident on Colham Ferry Road on March 4 of this year.
Jeff Morgan asked again that the intersection Astondale Road and Colham Ferry Road be made into a four-way stop. At present, only traffic on Astondale Road has a stop sign.
Jennifer Morgan thanked County Administrator Justin Kirouac for improving the operation of Public Works staff along the roadway.
Vickie Hammond, speaking on behalf of the Oconee County Alumni Association, expressed appreciation for Oconee County Civic Center Director Whitney Sperlik and her staff for assistance with the June 14 alumni banquet held at the Civic Center.
The Board also approved Employee Merit and Equity Adjustments, initiation of road abandonment for Pointe Preserve subdivision on Price Mill Road, and the awarding of a sludge disposal contract to Roll-Off Systems in an amount not to exceed $270,000
Video
The video below is on the Oconee County YouTube channel.
The meeting begins at 5:47 in the video.
The Morgans began speaking at 6:21 in the video.
The hearing on the Mars Hill Road Rezone begins at 18:15 in the video.
Discussion of the Manor Holdings request for the medical complex on Spartan Lane begins at 1:10:59 in the video.
Discussion of the Lenru Road project is at 1:36:14 in the video.
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