The petitioner, Chad R. Zittrouer for Lewis Commercial Properties, LLC, is requesting approval to rezone 151 acres (1150 Fort Argyle Road PIN: 2-1037 -01-001) on Fort Argyle Road, north of Bush Road, from the Residential-Agricultural-County (R-A-CO) Zoning District to the Planned Development Reclamation (P-D-R) Zoning District in conjunction with a General Development Plan/Site Plan as required by Sec. 8-3042.  The General Development Plan/Site Plan is in review under Site Development Permit #18-09437 and its associated Plan #18-005960.

The subject site is in between the New Hampstead and Belford Planned Unit Developments. The petitioner is requesting to rezone the property to permit surface mining (borrow pit). The subject site contains approximately 151 acres, of which approximately 45.3 acres would be disturbed for use as a borrow pit. Mining operations are expected to last three years, during which time 648,000 cubic yards of material will be removed, generating 58,910 dump truck trips from the property. 

The site contains approximately 62.5 acres of wetland.  A specific re-use plan has not been submitted.  Permits will need to be obtained from GDOT for access from Fort Argyle Road and from the Army Corps of Engineers for wetland impacts.

On November 20, 2018, the Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the requested rezoning in conjunction with the required General Development Plan/Site Plan.

The Mayor & Aldermen continued the Zoning Hearing from the December 20, 2018 City Council Regular Meeting to January 17, 2019.

The subject property was part of a 6,561-acre annexation by the Mayor & Aldermen on December 9, 2004 and was rezoned to the R-A-CO Zoning District on December 23, 2004 pursuant to O.C.G.A § 36-66-4(e) and Sec. 8-3021(A), which states “All property that is brought into municipal boundaries for the purpose of service delivery shall maintain its existing zoning classification.  The “Zoning Ordinance of Chatham County, Georgia,” is hereby adopted and made a part of this ordinance for this purpose.  Where a district that is established by the Zoning Ordinance of Chatham County, Georgia is applied to land within the City of Savannah, the suffix “CO” (for County) shall be placed on the Zoning Map of the City of Savannah after the zoning designation of the district.  No further action shall be required to establish the zoning for this land for this purpose.  However, such land can be considered for another zoning classification in accordance with the provisions of Article 1 (Amendments)”.

Approval of the Requested Rezoning in Conjunction with the Required General Development Plan/Site Plan.