The following district is hereby designated as agricultural: AG. The following districts are hereby designated as residential: RES. Each of the aforementioned districts is designed and intended to secure for the persons who reside there a comfortable, healthy, safe, and pleasant environment in which to live, sheltered from incompatible and disruptive activities that properly belong in nonresidential districts. Other objectives and purposes of these districts are explained in the following sections of this division. The primary standards for development within each of the following zones are given in division 4 of this article.

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 26; Ord. of 3-6-2023(2))

(a)

The purpose of the agricultural (AG) district is to maintain an area of agricultural use and rural character within the county, to preserve a working agricultural economy and rural landscape in these areas, to conserve environmentally sensitive resources, to stabilize and protect single-family characteristics of the district, and to promote and encourage a suitable environment for family life.

(b)

Application of this zone will ensure that the farming, pasture, and forestry uses, and the scenic values associated with these and the single-family residential character of these areas are protected from incompatible development that could result in the degradation of these values. For all major subdivisions of land for residential purposes in this district, conservation design is required leaving large amounts of land in agricultural use or as natural green space protected by conservation easement. Recreational, institutional, and limited commercial uses are also appropriate for these districts as provided in the table of uses in section 119-269.

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 27)

The purpose of the R-R Rural Residential District is to provide for single-family residential development of low density (not more than one principal dwelling unit per three acres) to achieve and maintain a rural landscape character. The district is intended to accommodate such public buildings, schools, churches, public recreational facilities, accessory uses, and environmental resources as may be necessary or are normally compatible with rural density and low-intensity agriculture. The district is not intended to accommodate intense or industrial-scale agriculture. For all major subdivisions of land for residential purposes in this district, conservation subdivision design is required leaving large amounts of land in agricultural use or as natural green space protected by conservation easement. The R-R district is designed to accommodate development in areas not served by public water and sewer utilities.

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 28)

The RES Single-Family Residential District is intended to provide for single-family residential development at low-intensity (not over one principal dwelling unit per two acres) along with such public buildings, schools, churches, recreational facilities and accessory uses as may be necessary to support such communities and are normally compatible with such surroundings. For all major subdivisions of land for residential purposes in this district, conservation design is required leaving large amounts of land as green space protected by conservation easement. The RES district is designed to accommodate development in areas that are served by public water.

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 29; Ord. of 11-7-2022, § XII; Ord. of 3-6-2023, § V)

Editor's note— An ordinance of November 7, 2022, § XI, repealed § 119-197, and an ordinance of March 6, 2023, §§ VI—VIII, subsequently repealed §§ 119-197—119-199 which pertained to R-1 Single-Family Residential District, medium density; RL Residential Lake Districts and V-P Village Plan Mixed-Use Residential District, respectively and derived from ordinances of July 20, 2009 and December 6, 2021.

The C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District is designed to accommodate a limited variety of commerce: those firms and services that are pedestrian-oriented or that serve the needs of nearby residential neighborhoods and farms. The C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District is intended to accommodate smaller scale business firms and commercial services that have a lower impact upon and are compatible with nearby residences in terms of vehicular traffic, noise, odors, lighting, the amount of solid waste produced, and hours of operation.

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 33)

The C-2 General Commercial District is designed to accommodate commercial development on a more intensive scale than the C-1 district. The types of uses permissible in this zone include those kinds of firms and services found in the C-1 district but also include additional automobile-oriented businesses such as drive-in banks and restaurants and other uses that require locations on arterial roads. The C-2 zoning district allows shopping centers that serve a wider geographic market than adjoining neighborhoods.

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 34)

The O-I Office Institutional District is designed to accommodate office and institutional land uses necessary for the residents and business and professional practitioners within the county that are of a scale that is inappropriate for location in neighborhood commercial districts or for uses that need locations along arterial roads. It is intended that this zoning district provide locations for the development of cultural, recreational, educational, and health service facilities for the county and be applied to public or private institutions such as hospitals, schools, and colleges; libraries, museums or theatres that might be developed, and to public fire stations or law enforcement facilities.

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 35)

The M Manufacturing District is designed to accommodate proper sites for industrial enterprises engaged in the manufacturing, processing, creating, repairing, renovating, painting, cleaning or assembly of goods, merchandise or equipment or enterprises engaged in the extraction of natural resources.

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 36)

;le=2;N/A — Not allowed.

;le=2;* Water and sewage must meet approval of the county health department.

;le=2;** Rear yards that adjoin Jackson Lake will be measured from Georgia power easement 525 feet seal level plus 50 feet.

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 37; Ord. of 1-4-2021, § 2; Ord. of 12-6-2021, §§ 1, 9; Ord. of 11-7-2022, § XII; Ord. of 3-6-2023, § IX; Ord. of 05-06-2024(3))

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 38)

The table of permitted uses should be read in close conjunction with the definitions of terms set forth in section 119-2 and the other interpretive provisions set forth in this chapter. All uses not shown or purposely left as a (Blank space) as a permitted use or a special use within each district by this section are specifically prohibited in that district. All uses shown as an accessory use are specifically permitted only as an accessory to some other lawful principal use. However, not all accessory uses are indicated and the absence of a designation as an accessory use does not necessarily prohibit it.

X = Permitted Use; S = Special Use Permit Required; A = Accessory Use Only

(Ord. of 7-20-2009, § 39; Ord. of 3-1-2021; Ord. of 1-3-2022; Ord. of 4-4-2022; Ord. of 3-6-2023, § X; Ord. of 08-05-2024(3))