Planning Commission recommends frogs, concrete pours and storage sheds

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Tuesday’s Forsyth County Planning Commission regular meeting only lasted one hour, and fifteen minutes but commissioners had time to address an unusual variety of agenda items.

For example, the commission recommended for approval Michelle Hoy’s request for a Home Occupation Permit to breed Amazon Milk frogs and axolotl salamanders at a terrarium located inside her home at 7465 Country Creek Drive in Cumming.  Hoyt is licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Georgia Department of Agriculture. She breeds the frogs and sells the offspring at the Repticon, a trade show and exhibition at Gwinnett County Fairgrounds.

Commissioners unanimously agreed to recommend the application for approval to the Board of Commissioners.

Two public hearings related to modifications to the Unified Development Code (UDC) were conducted. Both were recommended for approval.

Currently large concrete pours are limited to the hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The proposed change would allow the pours to take place outside regular business hours with prior approval of the Director of the Department of Building and Economic Development. The pours, however, would be prohibited on Saturday.

The Commission also recommended for approval modifications to the UDC related to small storage sheds in A-1 zoning district. The change stipulated that storage sheds may be allowed without a building  permit provided they not exceed 288 square feet of floor area, are not served by electric, water, gas or sewer utilities, do not exceed 16 feet in height and comply with all setbacks.

The Board unanimously recommended approval of OCS Enterprises, Inc. request to rezone from Commercial Business District (CBD) to Restricted Industrial (RI) 9059 acres for warehouses, storage buildings, offices, showrooms and a high-end automotive retail and car storage with 82 parking spaces located at 5638 Atlanta Highway.

Davie Blass’ request to conduct around the clock business at 503 Lakeland Plaza in the old bank building was also approved unanimously.