Jones Petroleum restarts efforts to build truck stop via Social Circle annexation

NEWTON COUNTY – In what has been a nearly five-year effort, Jones Petroleum (JP) is looking to restart its efforts to build a truck stop in the Newton County area.

JPC & Design Construction LLC, a subsidiary of JP, filed a development of regional impact (DRI) filing with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) dated June 12. 

The filing was made by William “Bill” Jones, CEO of JP. Currently, the Jackson-based petroleum giant has 80 locations spanning Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama, with more locations already in the works outside of the proposed filing.

Per the filing, JP and JP Construction is seeking to construct approximately 86,274 square feet of buildings at 370 Highway 11, just off of I-20, which is directly across from a BP gas station and less than a mile away from the Georgia State University Newton campus. 

A description of the project outlines a commercial travel center with a convenience store, truck fueling and parking, restaurants with drive-thrus, a tire center, a hotel and three lots for future development. It is expected that overnight truck parking would also be permitted.

In a public notice filed with The Covington News, Jeremy Crosby, CEO of JPC Construction, is seeking annexation from unincorporated Newton County into the city limits of Social Circle for the site.

Crosby is also looking to have portions of the land rezoned from agriculture (AG) to business (BUS) and heavy industrial (HI). The notice suggests that the BUS zoning of approximately 26 acres will be used for the commercial travel center. Just under 20 acres would contain HI zoning for a trucking and transportation terminal.

As part of the request, Crosby is also seeking a special use permit (SUP) from the city of Social Circle that would allow him to operate a fueling station and automotive repair services. He is also seeking a waiver that would allow the fueling station to be constructed. Social Circle city code currently does not allow fueling stations to be built within a 2,500-foot distance from each other, and the nearby BP is within that range.

Per the DRI filing, the site at full operation would require an estimated water and sewer usage of 33,000 gallons per day, with the Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority listed to be the provider. 

The projected value at build-out is listed at $50 million, with an estimated $3 million in local tax revenue per year. A completion date for the site was listed as December 2026.

All of the listed proposals will go before the Social Circle Planning Commission on July 22, and then go to the Social Circle City Council on Aug. 19 with the planning commission’s recommendation. Both meetings will take place at 138 East Hightower Trail.

This latest attempt is not JP’s first time trying to get such a development approved for the location.

In a unanimous decision the Newton County Board of Commissioners (BOC) initially denied a rezoning request for the site in Feb. 2021 in a unanimous decision. This led to JPC Construction and then-landowner Jack P. Adams filing a lawsuit in Newton County Superior Court, seeking a reversal of the BOC’s decision as well as monetary damages.

Five months later, the BOC approved a scaled-down version of the site, which no longer included many aspects of a full-fledged truck stop. The approved site – which still included the convenience center and three fast-food restaurants – led JPC and Adams to dismiss their lawsuit without prejudice

Despite the go-ahead, construction never began.

Outside of timber removal, the only activity that has transpired since the Aug. 2021 approval was the official sale of the land to Jones. According to qPublic.net, Jones purchased the land for $3.125 million in Dec. 2021.

The News reached out to Crosby to gain insight on why construction never began, as well as why an annexation request to Social Circle was made. He did not immediately return a comment.

District 1 Commissioner Stan Edwards took to Facebook to provide additional context about the annexation request.

“…The Jones Petroleum, Social Circle annexation request is now a reality. Social Circle will attempt to jump I-20. I guess they’ll try all the way down 11 to Mansfield. But I digress. This request is for annexation, a special use permit and a variance for Jones Petroleum. That means overnight semi parking, truck service, and everything that goes with it. Let me state this plainly again. Several years back the citizens of Social Circle and Newton County told Jones Petroleum ‘no’ to overnight truck parking. At the same time the Newton County Board of Commissioners officially said “no” to overnight truck parking. Prior to that decision, Mr. Jones and I had met and shook hands on a ‘travel center’ that did not include overnight truck parking, yet here we are.”

This is the second high-profile annexation case between Social Circle and Newton County that has taken place within recent months. 

In May, the Social Circle city council unanimously approved a rezoning request to allow a data center to be constructed at 708 N Highway 11. Developers for the site initially planned to go before Newton County on the topic. However, Social Circle City Attorney Tony Powell submitted an email to the DCA claiming that the land was not properly deannexed from the city. This allowed Social Circle to harbor jurisdiction of the land.

A few weeks after the rezoning, Newton County filed a lawsuit in Newton County Superior Court, challenging the jurisdiction of the land. That case is still pending and no updates have been made available as of yet.