Thomaston DDA recommends rezones, special-use approvals for four downtown properties

Board member Nancy Lowry moved and Ivy Jacques seconded a recommendation to rezone 501 W. Gordon Street from P-I (Professional/Institutional) to R-1 (Low-Density Residential) and grant a variance to the 1,500-square-foot minimum, after applicant Allen Harris said the structure is smaller than the minimum requirement. The board recorded the motion as carried.

Darren Day moved and Nancy Lowry seconded a separate recommendation to rezone 601 S. Center Street from C-1 (Neighborhood Commercial) to R-1, again paired with a variance for the 1,500-square-foot minimum; the minutes record the motion as carried. Both rezones will be sent to Thomaston City Council for final action, per the board’s practice of forwarding DDA recommendations to Council before a rezone vote.

The board also recommended approval of two special-use requests. Allen Harris asked that 327 N. Church Street be permitted as a brick-and-mortar location for 'Pro Bar,' an existing food truck; Nancy Lowry moved to recommend approval and Ivy Jacques seconded. For 400 N. Church Street, the board recommended a special use for 'RPM Fitness,' an athletic training business, after a motion from Darren Day seconded by Nancy Lowry.

Taylor Smith, Economic Development Director for the City of Thomaston, noted the board’s role in hearing zoning requests within the DDA area and forwarding recommendations to City Council. Mayor Pro-Tem Troy Chaney disclosed a conflict of interest and stated he would abstain from voting on all zoning reviews; the minutes record that the individual motions "carried" after the listed mover and seconder, but do not supply roll-call vote details. The record therefore notes both Chaney's stated abstention and the motions' recorded passage.

The rezones and special-use recommendations are advisory; City Council will consider the DDA’s recommendations in a future Council hearing. The board later entered an executive session to discuss real estate and adjourned at 10:06 a.m.