Center Plaza rezoning was reported approved, but Toccoa’s formal record remains unclear

Toccoa City Commission was reported to have unanimously approved a B-II Commercial District rezoning for 81 Center Plaza Drive, the former Sav-A-Lot shopping center, at its Nov. 12, 2024 regular meeting. WNEG Radio reported that the decision followed an earlier rejection of Frazier Investments LLC’s request for the more intensive B-IV Wholesale Business District designation and that renovations to the aging center would begin soon. The City Commission agenda for that date separately confirms that a public hearing on the property was scheduled, but the agenda itself does not record a vote or outcome.

The decision matters because zoning determines the commercial uses that may be pursued on a specific parcel. The 9.40-acre site contains about 90,000 square feet of commercial space and was reported to be 90% vacant. A B-II designation would broaden the property’s commercial options from its existing B-1 Neighborhood Shopping District classification, while stopping short of the B-IV category sought in the initial application, which WNEG Radio described as Toccoa’s most intensive business zone.

Frazier Investments first sought to move the property from B-1 to B-IV, a change that WNEG Radio said would allow uses including warehouses and heavier vehicle access. Before the Oct. 14 City Commission hearing, the Toccoa Planning Commission had recommended approval, according to WNEG Radio. But commissioners unanimously denied the B-IV request on Oct. 14 and encouraged the applicant to return with a B-II application. On Oct. 28, commissioners reportedly amended the Oct. 14 meeting record to include that recommendation, allowing the usual 60-day wait between rezoning requests to be waived; the successor B-II hearing then appeared on the Nov. 12 agenda.

The earlier B-IV proposal drew a focused disagreement over how much commercial intensity belonged beside nearby homes. WNEG Radio reported that resident Christian Hamilton supported a rezoning he considered necessary for the property’s best use but argued that B-II was sufficient, warning that B-IV could be too intensive for a parcel adjoining residential neighborhoods. Wayne Frazier responded that B-IV would give the center the widest possible pool of tenants if preferred tenants could not be found under other permitted uses. At the reported Nov. 12 B-II hearing, WNEG Radio said no resident spoke for or against the request, and Mayor Gail Fry and Commissioner Terry Carter thanked the owners for their investment.

The reported B-II approval and the owner’s completed purchase are distinct from the redevelopment work itself. WNEG Radio reported plans for a new roof, exterior-column and paint work, mansard repair, parking-lot cleaning and restriping, sprinkler inspections or repairs, and interior repairs, as well as the expectation that renovations would begin soon. Those are reported plans and a reported implementation milestone, not proof in the official record here that construction began or was completed. Likewise, WNEG Radio’s accounts attribute both the B-IV denial and B-II approval to the City Commission, but they cannot independently establish the official outcomes.

The next public step is to locate the City Commission’s formal record for the Nov. 12 hearing—such as a recorded vote, final ordinance, or other zoning action tied to 81 Center Plaza Drive. That record would establish whether the B-II rezoning was approved, whether its terms changed, and when any new designation took effect. Until then, the Nov. 12 agenda should be read only as notice that a hearing was scheduled, while the reported approval remains unconfirmed by a linked official action record.