Walton County planning commissioners voted Oct. 2 to recommend rezoning 48.84 acres at Highway 78 and Jim Dawes Road from A‑1 to B‑3 to allow a technical training facility and retreat proposed by DICOM Industries Inc. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Walton County Board of Commissioners for final action on Nov. 4.

Andrea Gray, representing the applicant, described a campus that would combine classroom and hands‑on training for telecommunications and utility workers, a mock residential training area, a pole yard, a driving course and lodges to house trainees. “They want to become part of the community in which they locate,” Gray said, describing a design that keeps roughly 80% of the site un‑paved and places lodges in a heavily wooded center of the property.

The application requests B‑3 zoning for a site the applicant says is consistent with the future land‑use highway‑corridor designation and nearby developed parcels. Gray said the project would include 100‑foot buffers adjacent to residential parcels, fencing, security gates, inward‑facing and downward‑directed lighting, and a cap on impervious surface at about 20% (well under the 75% allowed by B‑3 standards).

Mark Mazzawi, an owner of the subject property, spoke in favor of the project and highlighted workforce needs. “We need HVAC people, plumbers, electricians. We need these kind of people here,” Mazzawi said, supporting DICOM’s stated goal of creating skilled technical workers.

Commissioners clarified that the facility is not a manufacturing site and that training activities would be limited to normal business hours. The site plan also shows an on‑site manager’s house that would be occupied to provide 24‑hour oversight when trainees are present; the commission made manager quarters and trainee lodging an express condition of its recommendation.

Formal action: a planning commission member moved to recommend approval with a condition specifically allowing the on‑site manager’s overnight residence and trainee accommodations; the motion was seconded and approved by the commission. The recommendation will be reviewed by the Board of Commissioners.

Key clarifications from the meeting: the applicant estimates lodging for about 40 trainees at a time, expects to create roughly five full‑time local positions, and said the campus would operate training primarily during business hours. Gray said the project team mailed an information notice to roughly 40 nearby property owners and received two responses (one positive, one with questions). The applicant also noted that access and any necessary public‑road work would be coordinated with county public works and state agencies during development review.

Next steps: the commission’s recommendation and conditions will be sent to the Walton County Board of Commissioners for the Nov. 4 hearing. If approved by the board, the project will proceed to standard permitting and site development reviews.