Wal-Mart representatives made an impassioned plea before the Coweta Board of Zoning Appeals Tuesday night, asking to be allowed to use “Quik Brik” – essentially a colored concrete block – instead of actual brick for the store proposed for Ga. Hwy. 154 at Interstate 85.

Wal-Mart is requesting a variance from the county’s Quality Development Corridor overlay requirement for exterior materials. The QDC overlay states that 80 percent of the exterior of a building must be brick, stone or glass.

The Coweta County Planning Department recommended denial of the variance. After BZA Chairman Pick Parks asked for a motion, there were several moments of silence. Finally, BZA member Neal Pye made a motion to go with the planning department’s recommendation. Moments later, Ed Camp seconded the motion. The vote was 3-0-1, with Parks, Pye and Camp voting in favor. Board member Janis Anderson abstained from the vote.

Wal-Mart’s architect, flown in specially from Kansas, said he felt that Quik Brik panels would “provide the look” that the county intended when it made rules requiring brick, stone or glass for structures.

“I think it is in the spirit and intent of the ordinance,” said Mike Blinn of BRR Architecture.

Blinn said that Wal-Mart had gone to great lengths to avoid asking for other variances, including raising the parapet wall on the roof to block the view of the heating and air conditioning units from the interstate on-ramp.

The planning department recommended denial for three reasons – there are not structural challenges in the design and construction that prohibit the use of brick or stone, no conditions of the property prevent the use of brick or stone, and bricks are available in various sizes that meet the requirement and provide the sizing concerns noted by the applicant.

Wal-Mart feels that using Quik Brik will look better because the building is set so far back from the road. At that distance, the applicants said, the grout line will not be visible.

Wal-Mart has “gone to significant expense” to design the building and abide by other county regulations, said attorney David Kirk, representing Wal-Mart. “The relief we’re seeking is not unreasonable. It is not inconsistent with the spirit of the ordinance.”

If there are concerns with maintenance and durability, he said, Wal-Mart will put up a maintenance bond.

“Wal-Mart wants to build this new store to better serve its customers, to provide hundreds of good jobs for Coweta County residents, and to improve the county’s tax base,” Kirk said. “Please allow us to.”

The issue had been delayed for a month in order to give planning department employees time to research the issue. Planning Director Robert Tolleson, Zoning Administrator Angela White and Development Review Coordinator Ben Sewell traveled to the plant in Tyrone where the Quik Briks are made. Then they visited a Quik Brik Wal-Mart in Columbus.

“We have seen these installed and do not feel that it meets the intent of the Quality Development Corridor,” White said.

Additionally, the county asked architect Joe Gardner, who has designed several buildings in Coweta, to give his opinion on the material. Gardner examined the Quik Brik Web site as well as manufacturer’s specifications.

White read Gardner’s response: “It is my professional opinion that in any application in which the quality of the built environment is a consideration, the use of genuine clay brick is highly preferable to the use of a concrete masonry unit type of product such as Quik Brik, due to the proven durability of the performance of genuine clay brick over time and its superior aesthetic appeal.”

Bricks have been used for thousands of years, Gardner said. He said that a double layer brick construction is better than single layer masonry construction in controlling moisture.

Plus, brick looks better, he said. The color is consistent and vibrant, and he feels that the Quik Briks will fade over time. Additionally, their color is much flatter.

Tolleson showed the board a sample Quik Brik, which looks like a skinny, colored concrete block.

Gardner said that walls made with Quik Brik have a “mechanized” look in construction “with far too much precision to simulate the hand-crafted appearance and character of a genuine clay brick facade.”

Quik Brik is a tried and true material used since the ’70s, said Kirk. It doesn’t fade. And Gardner has never worked with it, he added.

Kirk also brought up the fact that the county approved Quik Brik for the expansion of Southtowne Motors.

However, Tolleson explained, that variance was granted because the existing building could not support the weight of bricks.

Many other cities and counties have approved the use of Quik Brik, Kirk said.

Requiring actual brick creates a hardship, said both Kirk and Blinn.

The cost is much greater, Blinn said, as is the construction time. Plus, they normally have to order many more bricks than actually needed, because so many will break.

“I think cost is a hardship. I really do,” Blinn said.

The Coweta Board of Commissioners will vote on the issue at its Dec. 13 meeting.