The Columbia County Planning Commission voted in favor of Georgia Ironworks’ (GIW Industries) upcoming expansion, during the board’s meeting Thursday night.
The Grovetown-based slurry pump manufacturer petitioned to rezone more than 60 acres of its land along properties on Sanders Drive and Morris Road, from R-1 Single-family Residential and S-1 Special to M-2 General Industrial. The company purchased most of the properties in 2017, the planning staff noted in its report.
Staff recommended approval for the request, with conditions such as requiring that the parcels be combined so as to secure rights for road frontage to meet the code requirements for the M-2 zoning.
Davis Maxwell, a neighboring resident along Morris Road, spoke to the planning commissioners in opposition to the request, saying that he and fellow residents had concerns about increasing traffic in the area.
“We’d just like a clear definition from GIW of what they’re going to do,” said Maxwell, whose property abuts that of Georgia Ironworks, inviting representatives of the company to speak with Morris Road residents. “Are we going to be pushed out down the road, or was this a one-time thing?”
Without further discussion, the planning commission voted unanimously in favor of the rezoning.
Planning staff had recommended denial of a request to rezone some two acres at 4018 Evans to Locks Road and 673 King Taylor Road from R-2 Single-family Residential to S-1 Special.
Landowners Walia Properties, along with JBC Development, submitted the request with the intention of building an event venue, called “Rocky’s Party House.” The development would entail a residential-style building with more than 4,000 square foot of living space, along with pickleball court, playground area, a pool and an outdoor gym.
Several neighboring residents attended Thursday’s meeting to speak in opposition to the request, citing concerns ranging from increased traffic to parking issues to noise. Although the applicants had asked to withdraw the rezoning requests without prejudice, the Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend disapproval of the request, rather than to allow it to withdraw.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
