Archived story
As originally published
Stephens County commissioners scheduled a Feb. 24, 2026 public hearing on John and Karen Hicks’ request to rezone 0.23 acres at 2325 Nub Garland Road in the Toccoa area. The Board of Commissioners agenda identifies the land-use request as affecting part of Parcel 023 115 and seeking a residential-single designation for combination purposes, but it does not record what commissioners did with it.
The acreage is small, but the decision would set the zoning rules for a defined portion of the property. The public-hearing process is the formal point at which commissioners and residents can weigh a proposed land-use change before the county takes final action, making the unanswered outcome consequential for the owners and nearby community.
Before the commissioners’ agenda item, WNEG Radio reported that the Stephens County Planning Commission approved a request involving the same 0.23-acre Nub Garland Road tract on Feb. 3. The station said the requested change was from agricultural residential to residential single for combination purposes and described the Planning Commission as a recommending authority, leading to the Board of Commissioners’ fourth-Tuesday hearing stage.
John and Karen Hicks are the applicants named on the county agenda. WNEG Radio reported that the Planning Commission approved the related rezoning request, while the county’s agenda placed the matter before the Board of Commissioners for a public hearing. No position from neighbors or other members of the public is documented here, and neither a Board vote nor commissioners’ reasoning is recorded in the agenda.
The rezoning itself remained a proposal on the official agenda, not a documented approval. WNEG Radio’s report supports that the Planning Commission approved the related request, but that report does not establish a Board of Commissioners vote or final outcome. The official agenda likewise does not say whether the Feb. 24 hearing occurred as scheduled, whether the request changed, or whether commissioners approved, denied or deferred it.
The next concrete public step is the appearance of a county record showing what followed the Feb. 24 hearing item, such as a Board of Commissioners vote, minutes or later action. Until then, it remains undecided in the public record whether the 0.23-acre portion of Parcel 023 115 received the requested residential-single rezoning for combination purposes.