The Ellijay City Council approved a zoning change that will allow a handful of apartments to be built in a former doctor’s office building.
The zoning change from GC (general commercial) to R3 (multifamily residential) was made official for 17 Barclay Street during an April 18 council meeting. The building previously housed the practice of Dr. Robert Bond, who retired at the end of 2020.
A public hearing for the proposed zoning change was held prior to the council meeting, but no comments or opposition were given.
Andrew Mathis, Ellijay’s code enforcement officer, told councilmembers Sandy Ott, Tom Crawford, Al Fuller, Katie Lancey and Kevin Pritchett that some local residents did voice concerns about traffic and property values related to the zoning change during a recent planning commission meeting. The planning commission’s motion to rezone the property passed with a split decision, he noted.
Developer Paul King, who owns the rezoned property, told the council he plans to divide the 3,600-foot former doctor’s office into four one-bedroom apartments.
“They’re about 800 square feet per unit. The building should be a good addition to the City of Ellijay as far as a nice, four-unit apartment that we’re going to improve and meet all the code,” King said.
King said he’s talked with some of the nearby property owners who were concerned about the zoning change.
“Everything’s settled with the people there. They were concerned that it would create a lot of traffic, and I don’t think that’s really true. It’s a much less intensive zoning use than general commercial, and we could have put a short-term rental in there and really created a challenge to keep the environment (the residents) all want quiet and well-maintained,” he added.
In other news...
Councilmembers approved a new Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) distribution rate. The sales tax rate is renegotiated by cities and and counties every 10 years in conjunction with the U.S. Census, noted Mayor Al Hoyle.
Hoyle said the Board of Commissioners has agreed to increase the city’s portion of LOST revenue from 16 to 17 percent. Ellijay had given 1 percent of its LOST revenue to the county 10 years ago as part of negotiations amid the economic downturn.