A self-storage zoning request made by professional wrestler and businessman Paul Lee was denied this week by Catoosa, Ga., County Commissioners. The application for the parcel at the corner of Dogwood Lane and U.S. Highway 41 was also unanimously rejected by the county’s planning and zoning (P&Z) commission last month, according to the source.

The P&Z commission first discussed the request on June 26 but tabled it because Lee lacked a detailed site plan, according to Jason Davis, county zoning director. Lee then presented two site plans on Aug. 28, but the commissioners vetoed the request because self-storage didn’t fit the area’s zoning, which is rural residential, the source reported.

During the Sept. 18 county commission meeting, Lee argued that a commercial business would be appropriate for the location. He also noted there was no opposition to the project from community members. “It’s on the corner of U.S. 41 and Dogwood Lane, which is a dead-end street,” he said. “Both times I came to the meeting, nobody from the community came or was against it. The main one I wanted was a mini-storage, which has only 30 units and would not be high-traffic. U.S. 41 highway’s long-term goal, anyway, is for everything to be commercial. I’m not trying to put it on some street. It’s on Highway 41. I mean, you take your property, you pay your taxes and you decide you want to do something with it.”

Commission chairman Steven Henry, who visited the site prior to the meeting, expressed concern about the residential properties on either side of the 0.8-acre lot. Lee told the commissioners he planned to construct a 50-foot landscape buffer around the property.

Fellow commissioner Jeff Long suggested the Georgia Department of Transportation might require upgrades for the road that leads to the property. Lee noted traffic into the site would be light, with no traffic at all on some days, he said, adding that there’s a need for more storage in the area.

A professional wrestler for 36 years, Lee has competed in events for the World Wrestling Championships, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. and USA Wrestling. He recently opened a wrestling-themed gym, Turnbuckle Fitness, in Ringgold Ga., and plans to open Turnbuckle Bar and Grille in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Source:
Walker Community Register, Catoosa County Commissioners Deny Wrestler Paul Lee’s Zoning Request to Build Storage Units
Times Free Press, Former WCW, WWE Wrestler Opens Gym in Ringgold, Ga.