TIFTON — Despite protests from residents, Tift County commissioners on Monday approved a rezoning request made for the purpose of building a convenience store on Old Ocilla Road.

The project will see 5.12 acres of land at 1949 Old Ocilla Road be rezoned from Residential 21 to Community Commercial. Commissioners first addressed the proposal in October of last year, where it was denied on account of traffic and flooding concerns.

Community development director Chris Davis explained at the July 2 meeting that the property has since been placed under new ownership and that the new owner, Rocky Patel, was more interested in doing what he could to accommodate the community. Davis reported that Patel had provided multiple site plans ranging from a structure more like a typical store to a more residential-looking establishment, and planned on leaving the decision of the building’s appearance and structure to the commissioners.

Additionally, Meredith Rutland asserted at Monday’s meeting that the developer was committed to the community and would move the sewage line and erect a fence as a show of this, and representatives of the applicant confirmed that a traffic study had been conducted at the intersection of the convenience store and had determined that no improvements were necessary.

Residents were nonetheless disapproving of the impact the development would have on the area; Davis reported at both July meetings that county staff had received a call opposing the project, with three more residents protesting it at the June 13 Greater Tift County Planning and Zoning Commission.

Prior to the board’s decision, several county residents voiced their concerns at the most recent meeting during a public hearing as well.

Alongside concerns over a seeming lack of groundwater contamination prevention or retention pond plans and the impact fuel deliveries would have on traffic, Alan Murphy noted that only a portion of the property was being used for the construction of the convenience store despite the entire parcel being designated as Community Commercial. He feared that the remaining 2.73 acres could be used to bring in any number of more detrimental developments to the area.

Murphy cited that the city had placed a moratorium on convenience store developments in the hopes of gathering information, and questioned the commissioners on their plans for such establishments.

Jack Thompson, who lived across from where the convenience store was planned to be developed, felt the county had enough convenience stores without the need for more, and was concerned that the water runoff issue the previous application had faced and been denied for had still not been addressed. His home would be directly affected were the store to suffer from water runoff.

Despite the protests of the residents, Stan Stalnaker, District 4 commissioner, acknowledged that Patel appeared to be doing their best to accommodate the area, and made the motion to approve the rezoning. Only District 2 commissioner Melissa Hughes voted in opposition.