Proposal For Car Museum On Agricultural Land Before Planning Body

Tony Townley is asking the county to allow him to carve out and rezone 11.1 acres that are part of the Plant Sciences Farm on Snows Mill Road he purchased from the University of Georgia in 2014 so he can turn the property into commercial use.

Townley is proposing to operate what he is calling the Eastville Car Museum to display classic, vintage, and historical automobiles and equipment in buildings already on the property, including the University of Georgia’s Red Barn, which Townley purchased and moved to the site.

If approved by the county, the property, currently surrounded by agricultural land, most of it owned by Townley, will be used as a public attraction, an intermittent event space, and a possible location for local and community gatherings, according to the rezone request.

Oconee county planning staff has concluded that the proposed use is not compatible with the agricultural and rural character of the surrounding area, but the staff nonetheless recommended approval of the rezone request.

The rezone request will be heard by the Oconee County Planning Commmission, meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday in the Courthouse in Watkinsville. The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to make its final decision on Oct. 2.

The Planning Commission also will consider on Monday a request by the owners of Pinelake Campground on High Shoals Road for permission to eliminate a requirement of a wall along SR 186 that the Board of Commissioners set as part of a 2017 rezone for the property.

For more on this story, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Two parcels to be used for museum.