The Columbia County Board of Commissioners (BOC) approved a rezoning along the Belair Professional Corridor in its meeting, Tuesday evening, making way for a proposed new car wash and commercial development.
On Thursday, April 4, the Planning Commission recommended denial of a request by Brandon Graybill and Christian Wahl to rezone 170 South Belair Rd. from R-2 Single-family Residential to C-2 General Commercial and C-C Community Commercial.
The 8.44-acre tract, bordering the Highview Acres and Fox Run neighborhoods, is where the developers plan to build a 4,750-square foot drive-thru car wash.
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The development is also to include commercial space, dividing the remaining portion of the land into three parcels with their own buildings, one 5,000 square feet, another 17,500 square feet and a third at 14,000 square feet, along with a total of 185 parking spaces.
The plan originally also entailed a proposed right of way into Oakley Pirkle Road Extension, which connects to the property to its east, to be dedicated to the county.
During Tuesday’s meeting, District 2 Commissioner Don Skinner motioned to approve the rezoning with conditions, two of which were that no gas stations, vape shops or tattoo parlors occupy the commercial space, and that a roadway connection to Oakley Pirkle Road Ext. and Hickory Drive South—connected to the property to its north—is not required. Whal and Graybill agreed.
Most responses to the rezoning were in support of it, including those from nearby residents Charles and Lynda Blackstock and landowner representative Jonathan Crawford, all of whom spoke at the April 4 Planning Commission meeting.
Highview Acres homeowner Sylvia Elam, however, did raise concerns about what businesses would end up in the shopping center, “attracted to the carwash as their frontage part,” and the possibility that people may attempt to use the area as a kind of shortcut onto South Belair Road or nearby businesses.
“We have a lot of little trails back there as it is,” said Elam. “So additional fencing may be needed, or a little walkway, to allow people to go through, because they’re going to cut through everybody else’s yard… to get to everything else.”
District 1 Commissioner Connie Melear seconded Skinner’s motion, and the board unanimously voted to approve the rezoning.
Another item on the BOC’s agenda proved slightly more contentious. Cody Turner had petitioned to rezone 3.59 acres at 1892 Appling Harlem Road from R-A Residential Agricultural to S-1 Special, to establish a high-end dog training kennel.
The Planning Commission recommended approval for Turner’s request on April 4, though some neighbors of the property attended Tuesday’s meeting to raise concerns.
Most objections were about noise level from the dogs barking, safety and sanitation. Robbie Peoples, who owns a home some 800 feet from the site of the proposed facility, cited the International Building Code while raising concerns to the commissioners about soundproofing the building.
Pastor Curtis Williams and Rev. Johnny Few of First Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, expressed worry about dogs potentially getting loose, or barking too loudly, during services or solemn events such as funerals, as well as any waste in the runoff Kiokee Creek.
Turner told the commissioners that solid waste would disposed of in a dumpster, and that he, along with planning staff, noted that soundproofing the facility was included in the project’s narrative. As the rezoning would be S-1, any facility built there would have to follow the exact specifications outlined in the project narrative, even if the business were sold.
Commissioner Melear suggested the board postpone the request to allow the applicants to confer with staff to clarify wording in the narrative regarding soundproofing, and to meet with Moriah Church to address its members’ concerns.
The board unanimously voted to table the request until the May 7 meeting.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
