A Take 5 Oil Change franchisee has made some progress towards building a location in Conyers, Georgia, but has been met with some pushback, reports the Rockdale Citizen.
A special use permit is being sought out by Toxaway Automotive Group for a new Take 5 store to be built in place of a former SunTrust Bank at 1530 Ga. Highway 138. Toxaway operates multiple Take 5 stores in the greater Atlanta area, and this past October opened the brand’s 300th franchised location in Decatur, Georgia.
Toxaway’s plans are for the existing building to be demolished, and to use the 5.73-acre site for three businesses: their Take store, a fast food restaurant, and a new bank. Their Take 5 facility would account for .34 of the parcel.
The plans have been met with some hesitancy by the city, with the zoning district it’s proposed for being intended to encourage pedestrian-centric development.
As a result, the Conyers-Rockdale Planning Commission recommended denial of a special use permit at its June 13 meeting. The commission also noted the existence of 10 other oil change businesses located on the road, all within 1.5 miles.
On June 26, the Conyers City Council approved a special use permit, though it wasn’t unanimous. With a 5-1 vote, the one dissenting council member will require the ordinance to be reviewed by the council again on July 17.
John Nix, an attorney representing Toxaway, expressed doubt in plans for the area to become more walkable, and that their proposed plans would not interfere with such a goal anyway.
“The property doesn’t have a lot of opportunity to become part of a walkable community as contemplated by the (zoning) ordinance simply because of where it is and the configuration of it and what it is bounded by,” said Nix. “And the I-20 interchange is going to end at the border of the site.”
