The regular meeting of the Columbia County Board of Commissioners (BOC) went swiftly, Tuesday night, as the commissioners voted in favor of a church expansion and against a proposed liquor store.
Promise Church had requested a major revision of the S-1 Special zoning of its property at 3432 Gordon Highway, near the Richmond County line, to allow for the church’s expansion. The church intends to build an additional church building, over 4,700 square feet, to accommodate its growing congregation, and use its current 3,500-square foot building for its children’s ministry.
Planning director Matt Schlacter noted that county codes would normally require the church to provide approximately 45 parking spaces. As the site would not allow that, Schlacter said, the church would maintain 28 paid parking spaces, and attempt to mitigate the limited spaces by limiting one car per family and holding multiple services.
The commissioners voted to approve the revision unanimously.
Following suit of the Planning Commission’s decision on Nov. 7, the BOC had also collectively elected to deny Gurtej Singh’s request for a change of conditions and conditional use at his GasPro fuel station at 4800 Columbia Road, to allow it to sell distilled spirits.
In 2016 the property was rezoned General Commercial (C-2) with that condition that it only be used for a convenience store. Schlacter explained to the board that even if it were to approve dropping that condition, they would still have to vote again to approve adding a liquor store. Ultimately, the board members voted down the entire request.
After the meeting, BOC Chairman Doug Duncan briefly spoke with media about the commissioners’ planning advance meeting in Athens on Sunday morning, whose agenda included talk on the possibility of consolidation and incorporation of the county.
In 2021, TAP spoke with both Duncan and County Manager Scott Johnson about the board’s yearly out of town meeting, saying that its time and location were selected primarily to accommodate the commissioners’ schedules and provide an opportunity for them to get to know each other.
Duncan reiterated this Tuesday night, stressing that the meetings were “best business practices.” Though the BOC had not had the out of town meeting last year, the commissioners elected to this year as there is a new addition to the board—District 3 Commissioner Michael Carraway.
Regarding consolidation, Duncan said it’s early in discussion. If it were to happen, it would be on a referendum ballot near the end of 2025, and would be preceded by several public meetings.
Skyler Andrews is a reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
