Correction note: an earlier version of this story referred to the location of the proposed development and subject of the rezoning request, in error, as “Old Louisville Road” in its headline and once in the article. The correct location is, in fact, Louisville Road.
Thursday evening, in its first meeting of 2023, the Columbia County Planning Commission voted in favor of a proposed subdivision along Louisville Road.
In late November, CSRA Development submitted a request to rezone roughly 29 acres on the western side of Louisville Road, just north of the intersections with Gavin Road and Rolling Brook Lane, from Residential Agricultural to Single-family Residential.
The developer plans to build a neighborhood consisting of 21 lots, at approximately 1.4 acres per unit, with a six-foot shadowbox fence along the southern and northern boundaries of the properties.
Planning staff recommended approval of the rezoning, while noting that Louisville Road is identified in the county’s future land development map as a rural corridor. The staff included conditions in its recommendations in an effort to preserve the rural character of the area, including a densely planted, 50-foot natural buffer.
MORE: Augusta Planning Commission recommends approval for proposed south Augusta subdivision
Nearby residents, however, still objected to the proposed development, with several attending to oppose the rezoning.
Grovetown resident Dan Lanning spoke before the board, bringing a petition with 47 signatures against the request, urging the commissioners to vote toward keeping the Residential Agricultural zoning.
“We would like to keep this as rural as possible,” said Lanning. “We don’t want just a berm, we don’t want more density of trees. We want fewer homes, because the character of what Columbia County is in this area is rural.”
Ultimately, however, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the rezoning request. The item is scheduled to go before the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 17.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
