Hank Aaron plans car dealership in Columbia County

APPLING - Home run king Hank Aaron plans to open a Jaguar and Land Rover auto dealership in Columbia County. <br> <br> The county planning commission voted 4-1 Thursday to approve a request from local developer Bobby Meybohm to rezone most of a 14.69-acre parcel from residential to commercial use. <br> <br> Planning commissioners recommended that the front 1,000 feet of the property be used for the Jaguar and Land Rover dealership owned by the former baseball star, and the back 400 feet would remain residential. <br> <br> They also added lighting stipulations and required a 50-foot buffer of trees and other vegetation between the dealership and Washington Commons retirement community. <br> <br> Washington Commons residents still opposed the development, citing concerns ranging from potentially hazardous runoff to the security of their property. <br> <br> Aaron said ``they can rest assured.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> ``That&#39;s their home, and if I thought I was coming in and interrupting their lifestyle I wouldn&#39;t do it,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Aaron owns several businesses in the Atlanta area, including a BMW dealership, and several Church&#39;s and Popeye&#39;s chicken restaurants. He also plans to open a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop. <br> <br> Aaron, a senior vice president and assistant to the president of the Atlanta Braves, hit 755 home runs during his major league career.