The Augusta Planning Commission has a special called meeting scheduled for Wednesday, about a week ahead of its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Monday, March 4.
On Feb. 14, Elizabeth Giles, senior construction manager at the Augusta Regional Airport, wrote to the planning staff regarding the airport’s proposed rehabilitation of its fuel farm.
The improvement project entails demolishing four vertical and one horizontal Jet-A fuel tank, along with their foundations, piping and pumps, to replace them with four new 30,000-gallon fuel tanks.
“Per the Augusta Planning and Development Department, this land must undergo rezoning to facilitate this project,” said the letter to planning. “As the land-use is not planning on being changed within the scope of this project, the Airport is requesting a Special exception concerning the rezoning request.”
The Augusta Regional Airport is zoned Heavy Industrial. The city zoning ordinance allows fuel storage tanks with a capacity of 12,000 gallons or less above ground in a Heavy Industrial zone, barring a special exception.
In June 2022, the Augusta Commission approved the airport’s Fuel Farm Rehabilitation and Improvements Project, including the installation of four new storage tanks; awarding the project to petroleum company JF Acquisition LLC, who offered the lowest bid at more than $730,000.
Later that month, the commission approved granting an easement on the airport’s land to Georgia Power “to run all necessary infrastructure to the new Airport Fuel Farm.”
Now the airport is requesting that special exception to install the new tanks. The special called hearing will be at the Municipal Building on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. The Planning Commission will have to reconvene a week later, on Monday, March 6, to hear several rezoning requests for proposed development projects, including for a retail center in west Augusta and a manufactured home park along Mike Padgett Highway.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
