Thomas Matthews of Drayton Parker Companies LLC on behalf of Carlton Ray is requesting to rezone 1758 Grove Point Road (PIN 10993A 05001) from Residential – Agricultural County (R-A-CO) to B-C (Community Business). On March 28, 2022, City Council approved the three parcels for annexation into the City. Two of the three lots were rezoned to City B-C (Community – Business). The third property comprising 1.07 acres—and subject of this petition—was rezoned by the City of Savannah to R-A-CO (Residential Agriculture in the County). 

The reason the City did not rezone the subject property to B-C was that the intent of these districts and their permissible uses are different. In Chatham County, the initial zoning classification for the two parcels was P-B (Planned Business). The PB zoning district’s intent is the managed creation and allowance of districts that accommodate heavy commercial and industrial uses through the P overlay designation in the County. The uses allowed in the zoning district are intense and include, for example, storage yards and self-storage mini warehouses. The City’s B-C zoning district allows for less intense uses, such as retail, restaurants, and mixed-use construction. While the B-C zoning district allows for some intense uses, these are managed through use limitations and special use permits. Chatham County’s R-A zoning district allows for less intense uses and serves to protect rural areas from commercial encroachment. 

While the B-C zoning district allows for less intense uses, the parcels do not currently maintain access to Abercorn Street. The assemblage has access to Grove Point Road—a collector street—and Sweetwater Station Drive—an unclassified street. The approval was given to rezone 1750 Grove Point Road and 1754 Grove Point Road from the County’s P-B zoning district to City’s B-C zoning district. The City also approved the 1758 Grove Point Road from Chatham County’s R-A zoning district to the City’s R-A-CO zoning classification.  As part of the approval, there is a condition that a traffic impact analysis be completed and approved by three entities—the Georgia Department of Transportation, Chatham County and City of Savannah.

The petitioner seeks to rezone the third lot from R-A-CO to City B-C to match the other two adjacent lots. All three lots are required for the development to provide adequate access, parking, water detention, and other site development improvements to the proposed Parker’s fuel station and convenience store.

On May 24, 2022, the Planning Commission recommended approval of the petition to rezone the 1758 Grove Point Road (PIN 10993A 05001) from Residential – Agricultural County (R-A-CO) to B-C (Community Business) under the condition that a traffic impact analysis be completed and approved by three entities—the Georgia Department of Transportation, Chatham County and City of Savannah.