A deal is in the works for the city of Harlem to annex a sizeable portion of land that potentially could double the number of residents in the city.
At the March 27 meeting of the Harlem City Council, members voted to send an annexation notification to Columbia County for 736 acres stretching from Clary Cut Road to North Fairview Drive, near Harlem High School. Whether officials from the county need to respond is up in the air.
Harlem Mayor Roxanne Whitaker says the county commission must vote to rubber stamp the move, but Columbia County Manager Scott Johnson says the deal is 100% between the involved parties and that the commission does not need to hold any type of vote.
The annexation move will result in shifting this large parcel of land from unincorporated Columbia County into the City of Harlem which has different zoning density ordinances.
Log Creek LLP is in the process of selling a 736-acre tract to an unidentified residential developer, and as part of pending deal, the land is to have a Harlem address.
A source familiar with the situation, who asked not to be named, says that the ownership of Log Creek LLP is tied to the Zaxby’s restaurant chain. The land is to remain zoned residential, and it may lead to a housing boom in the small city.
Harlem Mayor Roxanne Whitaker says that she is aware that lots are going to be parceled off from sizes ranging from a half acre up to 1.5 acres. For nearby residents, this means hundreds of new houses could be springing up soon, which could change the dynamic of the town, add to traffic as well as the demand for more schools.
Whitaker, however, says that she has not been shown any in-depth plans.
“We are excited. I think it is going to be a wonderful asset, and we look forward to it,” Whitaker said.
Beyond the potential number of houses that could soon be under construction, Whitaker says that because the area is not hooked up to the county sewage system, it will have to be determined later whether the area will ask Columbia County to extend the sewage system or if it will require the use of septic tanks.
The issue of waste removal seems to be one that county commissioners would prefer to avoid discussing. Commission Chairman Doug Duncan will only say that the county has yet to be approached to discuss the matter. Duncan says that since the county has not been asked for any services, it would be wrong for him to speculate on exactly what Harlem’s plans for the future.
Whitaker defers to the owners, stating it is their decision on whether to ask for county services for the development.
Columbia County officials say they have received the letter from the City of Harlem and virtually every official contacted, noted that this is a private deal that has been made between the City of Harlem and the land owners, which is well within their rights.
“This is totally the prerogative of the landowners. They want their land to be in the City of Harlem, and all they have to do legally is ask,” Columbia County Commission Chairman Doug Duncan said.
Commissioner Alison Couch echoed Duncan’s sentiments, saying that the county was left out of any negotiations and not given any plans for the future of the property even though the annexation will ultimately affect the county.
“This is simply a request by the landowner to annex into the city. He/she hasn’t asked me about connecting to sewer or water,” Couch said.
Commissioner Trey Allen broke ranks, stating that Harlem would never have been able to negotiate such a deal if Columbia County had incorporated when they had the chance, which was prior to his election. Allen says negotiations between Harlem officials had been going on for years, so news of the annexation was not the surprise it was being labeled.
“I have always been for incorporation and I plan to bring the issue back up. It is definitely coming back to the table, nothing against our two cities, but we need to go ahead and work on incorporation,” Allen said.
According to Whitaker, the city was also not required to send notices or hold public meetings alerting nearby residents of the possibility of a city growth-spurt near them. Since the deal is private and the zoning will remain the same, the city was under no obligation to make any announcements or hold public hearings. The details of the negotiations may remain secret for now since they were discussed in executive session, and no deal with the landowners has been finalized.
The city council will need to vote once more, ostensibly to accept the annexation and claim the area to be within the Harlem city limits, Whitaker said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter, Editorial Page Editor and weekly columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
