The Oconee County, Ga., Planning Commission has recommended approval for a special-use permit and rezoning of a 6-acre parcel that would enable the development of a Watkinsville Storage facility on Old Greensboro Road. The proposed self-storage project would comprise 32,500 square feet on 1.87 acres, while a commercial garage and canopy-parking area would encompass another 45,154 square feet, according to a planning-department report. The project will go before the county board of commissioners in November.

The planning commission recommended approval for rezoning the parcel from agriculture to office-institutional-professional with a 5-3 vote. Approval for the special use required for the storage facility was tighter, with chairman Dan Arnold breaking a tie in favor of recommendation, according to the source.

Ted Evans Jr., owner of Watkinsville Storage, and Jon Williams, president of development-planning and engineering firm Williams & Associates, were present during the Oct. 19 hearing to answer questions about the project. Property owner Bubber Wilkes, who serves on the county board of commissioners, gave an impassioned plea for planners to vote for recommendation, the source reported.

“This is my 401(k), folks,” Wilkes told commissioners. “I’m not putting out anything that would be detrimental to me, to this county or anything.”

The self-storage facility would include a 600-square-foot “storage/maintenance” building, two buildings with exterior units comprising 8,500 square feet, and an indoor storage building encompassing 23,400 square feet. It would include 166 units. The commercial parking area would include boat/RV storage, with 31,110 square feet devoted to outdoor spaces covered by canopies and 14,044 square feet for a parking structure, according to county documents. The cost of the project, which would be completed in stages, is estimated at $1.2 million, the source reported. The target opening date would be December 2016 or January 2017.

Founded in 1991, Watkinsville Storage is a family owned business. It operates one self-storage facility at 67 Greensboro Highway in Watkinsville, Ga.

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