Commission recommends rezoning and approves permits for Midway Electrical Contracting near future Woodworth Park

The Cherokee County Planning Commission on July 26 recommended rezoning a 1.45-acre parcel near Highway 92 to general commercial for Midway Electrical Contracting and approved associated permits and variances.

Planning staff said the parcel fronts Highway 92 and Old Highway 92, is within the Highway 92 overlay district, and is adjacent to residential parcels and the future Woodworth Park. The application sought zoning to GC, a special-use permit for a low-intensity electrical contracting business, and two variances: (1) reduce the ordinance-required driveway‑to‑intersection distance from 250 feet to 212 feet (a 38-foot decrease), and (2) waive the right deceleration lane requirement on Old Highway 92.

Applicant representative Park Suffolk said the company is a longstanding Cherokee contractor seeking administrative offices with modest indoor storage. Suffolk argued the site fits the area plan, will provide jobs and services, and that trucks are typically taken home by employees rather than parked long-term on site: “Businesses like this are really critical for not only providing services to the surrounding area but also good jobs,” he said.

A nearby resident, Benjamin Houghton, opposed the location, saying future park-oriented commercial uses near Woodworth Park should be more family centric and asking whether this industrial-type business was the best fit. Houghton said he lived in the nearby Salem Woods development and worried how the use would blend with future park development.

Commissioners were divided in discussion. One commissioner favored the site because of its Highway 92 frontage and surrounding commercial/industrial uses; another said that because the parcel sits catty‑corner to a park entrance, a more family‑oriented use would better serve the park’s needs and therefore opposed rezoning. The commission separated votes on zoning, the special‑use permit, and the variances.

The commission recommended approval of the rezoning by an 8–1 vote. It then unanimously approved the special‑use permit with a condition that the permit run concurrent with Midway Electrical Contracting, Inc.’s business license. The commission also unanimously granted both variances: the reduced driveway separation and the waiver of the right deceleration lane, with members noting the low existing traffic flow at the proposed access.

Because the zoning, special‑use permit and variances are approvals at the planning commission level, final permits and any required site engineering or transportation reviews will proceed through standard permitting channels.