In its first meeting of 2023 on Wednesday afternoon, the Augusta Planning Commission voted to approve a controversial rezoning petition by Beazley Development Company.
On behalf of Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes, the developer petitioned to rezone tracts of land along Windsor Spring Road and Manchester Drive totaling more than 200 acres from Agricultural to One-family Residential zoning to develop a new subdivision of over 350 detached single-family lots at about 1.87 per acre.
The current plan for the new neighborhood includes lots for one and two-story homes, 50 to 80 feet wide. While the plans do not include amenities such as a clubhouse or pavilion, it does include some two miles of walking trails and about 78 acres of open space.
The plan also entails two entrances into the subdivision: one connecting to the north out of Manchester Drive, continuing south to Tobacco Road; the other being a right-in right-out access road at Windsor Springs Road, north of the intersection of Windsor Spring and Tobacco Road.
Beazley Homes had sought rezoning for this project in November, but the request was denied by both the Planning and Augusta Commissions. For Wednesday’s hearing, the commissioners voted to incorporate the record from Beazley’s earlier petitions.
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Beazley’s vice president of land development, Joseph Gulino, touted the proposed subdivision’s potential for encouraging economic development in the south Augusta area, and cited a study for the Garden City: Augusta Sustainable Agenda in 2010.
“If you look at that study, this area was tagged for this type of development,” Gulino said.
However, as with the earlier iteration of this item last fall, several nearby residents attended the meeting to oppose the request. Samuel Walker, president of the Cambridge Homeowners Association, noted to commissioners the current disrepair of a section of Manchester Drive.
“Manchester Drive has not been paved in over 23 years,” Walker said, noting the traffic study in the area which indicated the proposed subdivision would likely bring in over 3,000 vehicles along the street each day, in addition to some 2,000 vehicles per day that travel along the intersection of Manchester and Tobacco Road on average. “There has not been one accident at that intersection, and now you’re going to start bringing in 7,000 cars per day to be put up there, there’s a problem.”
Les Morton, representing the Richmond County Neighborhood Alliance, also spoke to the commission against the development, also citing traffic concerns, particularly regarding putting an entrance along Manchester Drive.
“When you’re looking at this subdivision, as large as it is, it’s almost inconceivable to think that only two entrances will be adequate to accommodate 3,000 vehicles,” Morton said.
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County ordinances do require that subdivisions such as the proposed one have a minimum of four entrances, and commissioners did note to Gulino that, were the petition ultimately approved, Beazley would have to later request a variance to allow only two entrances.
The developer had expressed willingness to financially contribute to the construction of a traffic signal at the intersection of Manchester Drive the Tobacco Road.
John Ussery with the Traffic Engineering Division told the commissioners that a traffic light at this intersection would likely provide congestion relief to current and new residents.
“One of the big advantages of a traffic signal is how we queue traffic, how we how we collect them and how we release it,” said Ussery, also noting that installation of the signal would also require repairing the roadway.
The Planning Commission ultimately voted in favor of Beazley’s petition, with seven in favor, two voting against, and two abstaining.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
