Bethel Church Road Residents Oppose Chicken House Proposal

A change.org petition has been established with the goal of halting the construction of a commercial broiler and chicken houses on Bethel Church Road in Silver Creek.

Residents of the area packed the room at Tuesday’s Floyd County Commission to plead their case, and commissioners say they heard the concerns of the community, highlighting a need for updated zoning codes.

Under the current Unified Land Development Code, chicken houses are a permitted use in the Agricultural-Residential district, so no rezoning or special use permit is needed. A building permit has been granted through the Rome-Floyd County Building Inspection Department. However, the applicant still has to go through the state permit process with the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

John Hodgson spoke during Tuesday’s meeting and cited a number of concerns — one of which had to do with the prospect of having large truck traffic on Bethel Church Road.

“Bethel Church Road is not rated for anything over 36,000 pounds,” he told the commission. “Just doing some rough math, if you look at the tractor-trailers that are going to come in and out of this facility, it’s almost a thousand 1,000 tractor-trailer loads a year. Half of those are going to be weighing 50,000 pounds, plus. It’s going to destroy Bethel Church Road, literally. The infrastructure is built to withstand tractor-trailer loads of this magnitude.”

Meanwhile, Erin Hodgson cited environmental concerns, specifically related to a nearby stream.

“It is in the direct vicinity of these proposed broilers that flow and feed directly into Silver Creek, which is a local U.S. waterway. As you will see on these topography maps that I would like to present to you, the Blue Shiner is listed as an endangered species within the State of Georgia as being under threat within the U.S. regulations, and they are found in Silver Creek, according to the DNR.”

Penny Kilgo, who has lived on Bethel Church Road for 47 years, believes the area is not the place for a commercial business.

“You’re not going to be able to enjoy being outside with your family, your kids, or your pets with the smell of chicken houses and with the trucks going up and down the road,” she said. “I’m also concerned about property taxes.”

A total of eight people spoke on the issue. Other concerns included the possible impact on other farming operations in the area.

“We do hear your concerns,” said Floyd County Commission Chair Allison Watters. “I’m taking a list of notes, and I imagine our county manager has taken a list of notes. We are continuing to look at the situation.”

One speaker called for the passage of a ULDC amendment that would require a special use permit for large-scale poultry operations.

“We are taking a hard look at this and reviewing our ordinance,” said Floyd County Manager Jamie McCord. “Coincidentally, it is already under review but we will continue to do that moving forward.”