A dilapidated piece of historic Oakdene on the corner of East Sixth Street at Second Avenue may get new life as an office building.

The Rome-Floyd County Planning Commission recommended approval Thursday of an application for Neighborhood Office Commercial zoning at 208 E. Sixth St. and the wooded lot next door.

Andrew Firestone said he plans to remodel the existing building and parking lot near Second Avenue and leave the vacant lot as a buffer between the Oakdene neighborhood.

“Dad used to have his office there,” Firestone told the citizen commission. “I want to get it up and running again, so it can be part of the community instead of sitting there deteriorating.”

Planning Director Sue Hiller said the “grandfather status” that allowed the two-story house to be used as an office expired when it was left vacant for more than 12 months. The rezoning would allow it to be marketed for a new office-type operation.

The Rome City Commission will have the final say following a 6:30 p.m. public hearing at its Sept. 4 meeting.

A Rome and Floyd County Habitat for Humanity property on West 13th Street at Arthur Lane also is up for rezoning to single-family from multi-family use.

Board member Tom Sills said the 0.12-acre tract is next to a Habitat home and, “we’ll be deeding it over to that property owner to take care of.” There are no plans to develop the lot.

The planning commission unanimously recommended approval.

A request for a special use permit to put a manufactured home on an undeveloped East Drive tract just north of Shorter Avenue also won easy approval. Hiller said the area contains a mix of site-built and manufactured homes.

The Floyd County Commission is slated to take action on the application at its 6 p.m. meeting Sept. 25.