-David Crowder, WRGA News-
Rome-Floyd Planning Department photo
The Rome-Floyd County Planning Commission will hear an annexation request for a convenience store when it meets on Thursday.
The property at 203 Burnett Ferry Road is currently home to A-1 Food and Beverage.
The applicant is seeking annexation into the city for “property values.”
The planning commission and the Rome City Commission previously considered requests to annex the property on December 4 and December 15, respectively, with the planning commission recommending approval by a vote of 10-0.
However, the city commission went against the recommendation and voted to deny because of a temporary moratorium on new gas stations and convenience stores in the city limits.
The moratorium was lifted on February 9, making the request for annexation ripe again for consideration.
Attorney Fisher K. Law, who represents the applicant, stated in a letter addressed to the commission that the previous owner was busted for making cash payouts on the coin-operated amusement machines, resulting in the revocation of its state COAM license.
Law added that the county then sought to revoke the tenant’s county COAM license, and unbeknownst to his client, signed a stipulation requiring all new applicants to meet certain distance requirements, and there is no way any subsequent tenant can meet those requirements due to nearby residences.
According to Law, his client would be able to meet the distance requirements if annexed because the city’s ordinance is more lenient, adding that the property already receives city services and all of the parcels across Burnett Ferry Road from the property are in the city limits.
Thursday’s planning commission meeting begins at 2:30 p.m. at Rome City Hall.
