A church expansion, a new shopping center in Evans and a 24-hour gas station were among the items the Columbia Planning Commission voted on in its meeting Thursday evening.
Parminder Singh applied on July 8 for a variance to allow him to run his gas station for 24 hours. According to his application, Singh seeks to keep his Grovetown convenience store, Gas Pro #3 at 4311 Wrightsboro Rd., open at all hours to both increase revenue and curtail burglaries.
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Hamrazdeep Baidwan, a real estate agent from Chapel Hill, N.C. who is a partner with Singh, spoke to the commissioners on behalf of the their operation.
“Most of the businesses around us that are convenience stores and hotels are 24 hours,” said Baidwan. “We’ve had at least five break-ins between 11p.m. and 6 a.m. “Neither one of those people have been caught.”
The ordinance in question would currently only allow permits for convenience stores with gas pumps to operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., including limiting all deliveries to that stated time.
The Columbia County planning staff recommended in its report to approve the variance with conditions, including that all fuel pumps be located at least 25 feet from any public right of way or lot line, all buildings located at least 100 feet from all lot lines abutting a residential use, and that all fuel must be stored underground outside of any right of way.
After a motion to approve by Commissioner Gene Futch, the Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of the variance.
Planning staff had also recommended approval of a major revision of a planned unit development at the intersection of Ronald Reagan Drive and North Belair Road. Evans Society Investment Group, LLC submitted plans for its mixed-use retail development “Evans Society Center” last November.
The shopping center, which would be located behind the Columbia County Performing Arts Center, proposes two multi-tenant buildings, currently under construction at the site, totaling 10,000 square feet, to suit upcoming drive-thru café Goat Kick Coffee as well as several other restaurants, boutiques and other businesses.
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The purpose of the revision request was to modify sign allowance to make way for Goat Kick Coffee’s signage. The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved an earlier planned unit development revision request on Jan. 4.
The Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the request, with one of the conditions being that the painted sign planned for Goat Kick Coffee not exceed 75 square feet.
Redeemer Presbyterian Church is also seeking to expand on its 26-acre property, including a 30,000 square foot elementary school building. To do so, the church applied for a major planned unit development revision at its property at 2540 William Few Pkwy.
Though the county planning department staff recommended approval, the church requested to postpone the item in order to coordinate the traffic improvements and conditions. The commissioners obliged, all five of them voting to postpone the matter until the commission’s Sept. 1 meeting.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
