Walton County Planning Commission members on Sept. 4 voted to table rezoning case Z250275, a request to rezone 7.486 acres from A-2 to B-2 at 5187 Highway 81 and Bay Creek Church Road for a proposed convenience store and warehouse buildings. The applicant, Ned Butler, representing Blue Eagle Land Investments LLC, asked the commission to delay action so the developer could meet neighbors and address concerns.

Butler said, "I... I'm gonna request it to be tabled so that we can have time to meet with our community neighbors," and told commissioners he had scheduled a public meeting for Sept. 16 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bay Creek Community Center and was mailing notices to addresses on the county list.

The request matters to residents because speakers at the meeting raised traffic and safety concerns. Steven Grillo, a Forest Ridge resident, said the intersection is hazardous: "It's a very dangerous location. Everyone who comes around that bend... knows the slowdown and the lookout for what's going on." Caroline Grillo, who said Georgia DOT had not commented on the proposal, told the commission a past crash forced a neighbor to move and urged a traffic study beyond building plans: "You need to do a study more than just a building."

Residents also questioned material in application maps and the description of proposed zoning. Brandy Telles, who said she works with the Georgia Department of Transportation, pointed out inconsistencies in the packet: "He requested rezoning to B2, but in the purpose of the rezone, it says requesting B3. Is it B2 or B3?" Telles also said mapped roadways did not reflect that a connection shown on some maps is a right-of-way rather than a through road: "There is no roadway. That ended years ago. It's a dead end."

Planning staff clarified the commission reviews land use and zoning while access and driveway approvals fall under county permitting and the Georgia Department of Transportation. The chair said the county would require permits for entrances on county roads and that state approval would be required for access to the state highway.

A motion to table the case until the commission's next meeting passed with an affirmative voice vote. The chair announced the case will appear before the Walton County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 7; the applicant's neighborhood meeting is scheduled for Sept. 16 at the Bay Creek Community Center.

Next steps: the applicant will meet neighbors on Sept. 16; the commission will consider the rezoning again on Oct. 2, and the Board of Commissioners will consider the request on Oct. 7. Until required traffic and access reviews are submitted to and approved by the appropriate permitting authorities, entries and curbing will remain subject to county and Georgia DOT review.