MACON, Ga. — South Bibb neighbors are breathing a sigh of relief after county Planning & Zoning leaders denied a proposal for a church in the Nowell Estates area.
The plan was first on the agenda at a public hearing last month, but the final ruling was postponed until Monday's standing room-only hearing.
Neighbors like Jim and Mary Ann Chavalley expressed ongoing concerns that the proposed building at 6045 Cara drive would worsen flooding in the neighborhood, especially their backyard.
"I get tired of having a knot in my stomach every time I see that red storm coming ... and knowing that's water," Jim said. "It's a lot of rain that's coming right to us. Hopefully, we'll get something done and get it taken care of. I don't know what the holdup is. I just know there's somebody holding it up."
13WMAZ spoke with Dickie Malone Jr. after the first hearing last month.
Now, he says he's relieved by the ruling.
"I think Planning & Zoning came up with the right decision to deny the motion to build anything back there," Malone said. "Even though they reduced the number of parking, the water will still dissipate into people's backyards."
Tim Shelley bought 5 acres of land in Nowell Estates 3 years ago.
He says House of Refuge, of which he's a member, is currently renting a space in Macon, so he motioned to donate his land for the church to build their own building.
But because solutions haven't yet been installed to prevent flooding, P&Z ruled that an additional building would negatively impact the area.
"It could've been fixed, but it's up to them to sign off on it, to make it work, and that seems to be the problem," Shelley said. "They have to come together on that end. It's not all Macon Water Authority, it's also the residents living in the area."
Bibb commissioners and Macon Water Authority board members Bill Howell and Valerie Wynn also spoke in opposition of the project.
In January, the Macon Water Authority approved more than $220 thousand to continue tackling storm water issues in the area. That includes funding a new retention pond in the Nowell Estates neighborhood.
But all affected homeowners in the area must first sign off on these plans for work to begin.
"We don't have a start date or anything," Mary Ann said.
But neighbors like the Chavalleys are still waiting for solutions to flow.
"The first shovel of dirt hasn't been dug yet to get it done," Jim said. "I'm sorry to say it but it's Macon in general ... they got some good people. We've been thankful to have Bill Howell as our commissioner, but we can remember when the county said 'the problem ain't ours, you know, it's yours.' And I said, 'What do you mean? It comes from all the houses in this community, from the drain and off of their yards.' It's made me want to fight."
As for House of Refuge, the church is still looking to become a positive addition to a community, wherever that may be.
"We want to be there to help the community, like I said, we don't want to be a hazard to the community," Shelley said.