The Columbus Consolidated Government
Planning Department
Post Office Box 1340 Columbus, Georgia 31902-1340
Telephone (706) 653-4116
Fax (706) 653-4120
Website: www.columbusga.org/planning
07/18/2013
Honorable Mayor and Councilors
City Manager
City Attorney
Clerk of Council
Subject: (EXCP-5-13-1980) Special Exception Use request for a place of worship
exceeding 250 seats located at 7201 Flat Rock Road.
My Church of Columbus, Inc./Lamar Fields have submitted an application for the
Special Exception Use cited above. The property is located in an SFR1 (Single
Family Residential 1) zoning district. The site for the proposed place of
worship is approximately 5.5 acres. The applicant has submitted a site plan,
which is attached. Places of worship in excess of 250 seats are permitted in
an SFR1 zoning district only on a site-specific basis upon approval of the
Council based upon the following criteria and conditions:
(1) Access. Is or will the type of street providing access to the use be
adequate to serve the proposed special exception use?
Flat Rock Road is classified as an undivided arterial. Ingress/egress to the
site meets the requirements in order to accommodate the flow of traffic during
the hours of service for the use.
(2) Traffic and Pedestrian Safety. Is or will access into and out of the
property be adequate to provide for traffic and pedestrian safety, the
anticipated volume of traffic flow, and access by emergency vehicles?
The site allows ingress/egress at Flat Rock Road, which should maintain
adequate flow of traffic to and from the subject property.
(3) Adequacy of Public Facilities. Are or will public facilities such as
schools, water or sewer utilities, and police or fire protection be adequate to
serve the special exception use?
Services such as water, sewer, utilities, police, and fire protection will be
adequate and serve the proposed use at this location. Furthermore, there will
be no impact on neighboring schools in the immediate area.
(4) Protection from Adverse Affects. Are or will refuse, service, parking and
loading areas on the property be located or screened to protect other
properties in the area from such adverse effects as noise, light, glare or odor?
Parking and loading areas shall be set forth per the UDO requirements.
Off-street parking will be utilized on-site. A buffer type A is required for
SFR1 property abutting GC property. The 3 options under Category A are: 1) 5
feet with a certain amount of shrubs / ornamental grasses per 100 linear feet
and a wood fence or masonry wall. 2) 10 feet with a certain amount of shrubs /
ornamental grasses per 100 linear feet. 3) 20 feet undisturbed natural buffer.
External dumpsters/compactors and lighting are addressed in the UDO. Noise
impacts are addressed in the City Code.
(5) Hours of Operation. Will the hours and manner of operation of the special
exception use have no adverse effects on other properties in the area?
The hours of operation for this use will not have an adverse impact on the
neighboring properties in the area.
(6) Compatibility. Will the height, size or location of the buildings or
structures on the property be compatible with the height, size, character or
location of buildings or other structures on neighboring properties?
The height, size and location of the proposed structure will be compatible with
other structures on neighboring properties.
Council District: District 6 (Allen)
Six (6) property owners within 300 feet of the property have been notified by
mail of the proposed Special Exception Use. To date, the Planning Department
has received two comments in opposition and one neutral comment. The opposition
is mainly to the proposed type of use; Mr. Chastain, one of the opposed
individuals would prefer a commercial or multifamily use rather than a church
at this location. Pastor Sanks, in the other hand is concern about the impact
of this new church with his existing and struggling ministry.
Additional Information: The purpose of this special exception request is to
allow for a place of worship that exceeds 250 seats. The proposed building will
have 33,088 sq. ft and 800 permanent seats. They will provide 193 parking
spaces, including 4 handicapped accessible spaces.
The project lies alongside the Columbus Fall Line Trace.
The Planning Advisory Commission recommended conditional approval at the June
19, 2013 meeting. The recommended condition is: 1) Buffers shall be required
along all public right-of-way, including the Fall Line Trace, subject to the
approval of the City Arborist and Inspections and Code Department.
The Planning Department recommends that the Council conditionally approves the
use because the application for a Special Exception use meets the criteria for
approval. The recommended condition is the same as the one recommended by the
Planning Advisory Commission.
Respectfully,
Rick Jones, AICP
Director, Planning Department
Enclosure/ Attachment
ZC0102-5
Attachments