A Columbia County house of worship whose roots nearly go back to the 19th century is the subject of a months-long attempt at redevelopment.
On May 1 of this year, Clark Grove Baptist Church submitted a request to revise the S-1 Special District zoning at its location at 3592 Evans To Locks Road.
The church has existed on the grounds in some form since 1900. An initial letter sent by Senior Pastor Marcella Glover to the planning department in August of last year notes that the church had demolished its 1,400-square foot sanctuary building amid its structural aging and the prohibitive cost of repair and remodeling.
Glover goes on to mention in the letter that the congregation is “experiencing constant and consistent growth,” surpassing the capacity of the separate fellowship hall building on site where the church currently holds services. Its plans now entail constructing a new 4,128-foot building to accommodate some 200 parishioners and to possibly include brick, a metal-channeled roof and bell tower.
The parcel, which also includes a cemetery of more than 26,000 square feet, is hidden inside a residential area, sitting behind two homes, its access provided by an easement near the intersection of Evans to Locks and Old Stevens Creek roads.
The church had been a non-conforming use since 1979, when the county adopted its zoning code. In 2000, the property was rezoned from R-2 Single-Family Residential to its current Special zoning to accommodate the construction of the fellowship hall.
Through a mutual arrangement, the church shares parking space with the West Lake maintenance staff, each using the other’s property for overflow, according to the planning staff’s report on the item.
Planning staff have expressed concerns about how fire trucks could access the area, as well as issues with parking and proposed occupancy. The Columbia County Planning Commission was initially slated to review the request during its June 6 meeting, but the church asked to postpone it for three months. The request is now tabled until Sept. 5.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
