Jasper Goes Commercial, Despite Public Outcry

Featured Stories, News

A nearly ten-year struggle ended in disappointment for some Jasper residents at this week’s city council meeting. The final blow came Monday night, February 6th, when Mayor John Weaver delivered the council’s decision to rezone approximately 30 acres off Highway 515. Previously, the land, which backs up to a residential neighborhood called Green Valley Farm Community, was zoned as residential. According to a number of public comments during Monday’s meeting, the residents purchased the land precisely because it was zoned residential and was expected not to change. Attorney for the land owners Kevin Moore, however, received a Judge’s statement that no deed or covenant restrictions prohibits the land from being zoned as commercial, allowing the land owners to move forward with their rezoning application, requesting to move the designation from residential to a commercial C2 zone.

In his presentation to the council Monday night, Planning Commission Chairman Tim Ghorley recounted a January 23rd Planning Commission meeting, when the commission rejected the application to rezone to commercial due to public opposition. Prior to hearing residents’ final arguments before the council rendered a decision, Mayor Weaver allowed Moore to give a presentation to the council and residents sitting in the audience.

“This wouldn’t be introducing a commercial (zone) on this side of 515,”

Moore said pointing to a plan-map on an easel,

“It wouldn’t even be introducing commercial on this side of 515.”

Moore argued that both sides of the highway are already zoned commercial. Numerous commercial buildings with businesses already exist on the opposite side of the highway from the desired land, he argues and, on the same side of the land in question, a near-by tract is also zoned commercial, adding that a commercial market currently exists in the area. As such, a new commercial market would not be created or introduced. In addition, Moore said he anticipates the 515 corridor to be a fast growing corridor for the city for future commercial growth.

Residents then had a chance to voice their opinions following Moore’s presentation.

“I do not see where this is the highest and best use of property, when you have residential already established,”

Pickens Resident Jennifer Forrester said, a former real estate agent. Forrester pointed out that numerous vacant buildings are available for rent right now on 515 and other land is available up and down the highway.

Nineteen year resident of Pickens County Steve Davis had a more diplomatic comment.

“We’re opposed (to it) because we don’t know what’s going in there,”

Davis said, adding,

“If it’s done right, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

Davis was concerned with the architectural aesthetics of the buildings, saying that some places in the county are visually inconsistent, calling them

“hodge-podge architectural stuff.”

Later Davis waxed philosophical, with strong words for the Mayor and council.

“With power, comes responsibility,” he said, “You all got power to vote this in or not, but you also got a responsibility not only to the city, but to the people in this county.” He asserted that the council’s decision “affects the perception people have of this county.”

Other residents were concerned about light pollution, noise, crime, and the potential increase in the volume and flow of traffic. Following all opposing comments, one resident offered the possibility of the land fostering new businesses, giving new graduates a place to work and feeding the larger economy of the county.

In the end, the council voted unanimously to approve the application to rezone the land to commercial, C2, with a 100 ft buffer between the commercial property and the residential area of the Green Valley Farm Community.

In his closing statement, Mayor Weaver said,

“I hate this that it affects residents who are in areas that zoning has been changed and will be changed in the future… (But)…I have no apologies that we are looking for commercial property and jobs on 515.”

Back to Top