The Gainesville Planning and Appeals Board Tuesday night approved a rezoning that will allow the construction of an office building at the intersection of Green Street Circle and Thompson Bridge Road.
The 0.48-acre plot of land is located at 1113 and 1117 Green Street Circle and was rezoned from Residential to Office and Institutional. Bradley Dunckel, who appeared on behalf of property owner James E. Bates, Jr., detailed a proposal that would see a new medical or dental office be built at the location. The 2,000-square-foot office will be a one-story structure with 10 planned parking spaces, according to the application.
The land in question currently sits on two undeveloped, wooded parcels that slope upward toward the higher section of Green Street Circle. A retaining wall will be required due to the incline.
Five Green Street Circle residents spoke against the rezoning, citing concerns about noise, privacy from Thompson Bridge Road and an increase in traffic at what they said is an already dangerous intersection. One resident noted an incident involving a nearby backyard on Green Street Circle eroding and falling into The Bradford Pair parking lot after trees were removed on the hillside years ago.
Board member Ryan Thompson put forward the motion to approve the rezoning, but only after he detailed several conditions the property owner would need to meet.
“I felt a small office building would be a good use for that property,” Thompson said. “I felt like we needed to protect the homeowners behind. So I felt like we needed to add some additional stipulations as far as buffers, the size of material, buffer pads and hours of operation.”
Thompson tacked on three conditions to the rezoning. There will be no dumpster on site, so as to prevent high noise levels from disturbing neighbors up the hill. The property will be required to have a minimum of an eight-foot-tall buffer between the homes and office building. Lastly, business hours will be limited between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Once conditions were in place, the board voted unanimously in approval of the rezoning.
The Gainesville Planning and Appeals Board will meet again in the Gainesville Municipal Court building on May 9 at 5:30 p.m.
