At Monday morning’s work session, the Hall County Board of Commissioners agreed to allow Hanson Aggregates Southeast LLC to withdraw its application to expand a rock quarry near the Jackson County line.

Wayne Phears, an Atlanta attorney representing the group, told the commission they need more time to review and make changes to the zoning request that has been unpopular with nearby residents.

“We don’t want to be tone deaf to the community,” Phears said. “What we’re trying to avoid today is going back to court.”

Hanson Aggregates asked the commission to consider rezoning 113 acres to heavy industrial to expand its existing quarry that has been in operation since 1953.

The matter has come before the Hall County Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners multiple times.

In 2003, the Board of Commissioners, which has the final say on zoning matters, denied a similar request for rezoning from Hanson Aggregates. Hanson filed suit against the county and the case went through the courts, which ordered the application back to Hall County for reconsideration.

The property was brought before the planning commission in January, but was tabled for six months so the planning commission and nearby property owners could have more time to study the request.

In August, the planning commission recommended the Board of Commissioners deny Hanson’s latest request to rezone the 113 acres near Dixieland Farm Road and Young Drive following an hour of passionate pleas from nearby residents at its last meeting.

Phears said his client would like to withdraw the application to have more time to work out some of the issues.

“It’s very hard to get anything done when it comes up every couple of weeks on an agenda,” Phears said. “If you want to get anything done you have to do it outside this process so you have more time.”