One Lizella couple showed up at Monday’s hearing to oppose a new smoke shop, but Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning commissioners had concerns of their own and voted it down.
Four business partners planned to open DJ Vape and Smoke in the 1,575-square-foot retail space next to the new Tipco convenience store at 6011 Bethel Church Road near the corner of Fulton Mill Road.
The 4,500-square-foot convenience store was approved in 2022 with the stipulation that P&Z conditional use approval was required for the retail space.
In presenting the application, attorney James Hamp said the partners already own and operate DJ Vape & Smoke at 6440 Houston Road about six miles away.
“They’ve been in business for almost four years and have not had any complaints or issues with compliance,” Hamp said. “Matter of fact, in January of this year, the alcohol-tobacco arm of the Department of Revenue sent undercover agents, well undercover youth, to try to purchase products, and they passed with flying colors.”
Pat Lynch, who lives nextdoor to the proposed smoke shop, came to the hearing looking for answers about the project.
“I had a lot of questions, and I wasn’t sure of how to find out answers without coming here,” Lynch said. “One of them was, was there going to be gambling machines, and are they going to be selling the marijuana the CBD?”
The answer to both questions, was “yes,” as a handful of coin operated amusement machines were included in the drawings.
“Wow, I would not be for the selling the CBD, and I’m not crazy about gambling machines, so I would oppose,” Lynch said.
Commissioners had their own reasons for voting against the smoke shop.
Kesia Stafford said she was opposed to smoking.
“I’ve been affected by smoking in the household. So, you know, I’m just not going to currently run to say, ‘Yes,’” Stafford said.
She was not willing to be the one to move for approval, either.
P&Z Commission Chair Jeane Easom had similar concerns.
“Personally, If we never had another one of these, I would be fine,” Easom said. “Because I do believe there’s enough health issues concerned with smoking and vaping, and I’m concerned about our young people today.”
Easom read aloud the criteria for deciding whether a business would have an adverse affect on a community or adjacent properties “due to causing fire, health, or safety hazard, crime or other public safety problems, nuisance, drainage problems, noise, light, smoke or other contaminants, odor, electrical interference aesthetic issues, pollution to land, air or water, damage to property values of adjacent or nearby properties due to any other causes.”
Although the P&Z staff report stated no such impacts are anticipated, P&Z Vice Chair Tim Jones moved to deny the approval and the vote was unanimous.
Hamp questioned the vote considering the staff determined there was no substantial reason it should not be approved.
“That was the staff’s recommendation,” P&Z Executive Director Jeff Ruggieri said. “The commission felt differently.”
In the only other agenda item to be heard during Monday’s hearing, P&Z approved a variance for a covered patio at 139 County Club Road.
Easom said she wanted to hear testimony on that item in case the backyard neighbor objected to the construction.
Kenneth Sams said he had a letter from his neighbor endorsing the project, so P&Z granted the variance to allow the addition to be 16 feet from the property line, not the required 40 feet.
During the administrative pre-meeting, commissioners learned the neighbor’s house would still be about 100 feet from the new covered patio on a heavily wooded lot.
Commissioners also approved P&Z’s pursuit of federal and state grants to cover the majority of the cost of nearly $130,000 for planning mass transportation projects. The technical study grant is provided annually by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Other agenda items
The following agenda items were approved by consent, without hearing additional testimony.
- 630 Wimbish Road — P&Z approved Abundant Life Center for Early Learning using a 20,658-square-foot building for a childcare facility for 50 children aged six weeks to five years. The business plans to employ six people to cater to the academic, emotional, spiritual and social needs of the children. The childcare center will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday.
- 1163 Adams St. — Exterior modifications to the windows approved at the Hammonds’ historic home.
- 1069 Elm St. — P&Z approved aluminum-clad wood windows on this house in the Beall’s Hill Historic District provided that they match the current style and have divided panes or give the appearance of them using simulated divided lights.
- 676 College St. — The Design Review Board denied an application to use a metal railing on an upper balcony because staff noted there were no other metal design elements on the historic home. Applicant will use wood, which is an approved material.
- 476 Second St. — In August, the Design Review Board rejected The Social Duck’s request to use an etched glass window film to block the afternoon sun. On Aug. 25, P&Z thought a compromise could be reached and sent it back to the review board. DRB would not compromise as obscured glass is not allowed in the Central Business District, but the business may tint the windows instead.
- 2700 Napier Ave. — Homeowner Kadisa Robinson was approved to use Crown Slate roofing material to replace the slate shingles on her 1918 home. Robinson did not realize she needed a certificate of appropriateness to change materials in the historic district. She sought retroactive approval on Aug. 18 but the Design Review Board did not think her asphalt shingles were appropriate. Robinson said she was having trouble finding a company willing to put slate on the severely slanted roof. Although P&Z staff did not endorse the new material, DRB approved the new shingles and recommended it for consent by the commission and they approved it with other items on the consent agenda.
- 5605 Hawkinsville Road – The application for a proposed multi-message, digital billboard will be heard Sept. 22 after the applicant asked to defer consideration.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
