Neighbors voice concern about Thomasville's South Pinetree Boulevard rezoning
Nov 01, 2024
Thomasville City Council voted 3-2 to rezone a 14-acre property, permitting up to 30 homes. The new zoning requires 15,000 square foot lots and a minimum of 400 feet of frontage. Watch the video to see what some neighbors think about the decision.BROADCAST SCRIPTAs Thomasville grows, not everyone's on board with new homes in their neighborhood.I'm digging into why some neighbors are pushing back to new development as the city pushes forward for what it's calling progress.The Thomasville Commission has rezoned a 14-acre plot on South Pinetree Boulevard.The land was approved for what's called "Residential 41A". That's the city's lowest-density zoning, allowing for larger lot sizes and spacing.This new zoning requires lots to be at least 15,000 square feet with 400 feet of frontage, paving the way for 20 to 30 new homes.Jane Lear moved from Tallahassee to Thomasville for the peace and quiet. She's concerned the change could disrupt the area's character."If we had more people, I guess they have to develop even more areas, and I love the way it is now where everything is kind of spread out," said Lear.City Planner Kenny Thompson says the 41A zoning changes align with what's already in place in surrounding areas.He says any new development must not only comply with regulations but also ensure the well-being of the community."If there's any concern about traffic or things like that, there will be additional studies and requirements placed on them to ensure that whatever they put in will be safe and will not cause any sort of detriment," said Thompson.And while Lear is hopeful things will stay just the way they are, she has no plans of changing locations."I'll just have to bear with it 'cuz I don't want to move," said Lear.Although the city approved rezoning, there's still no site plan on file. That leaves the final design and layout still undecided.