Warren Baptist Church in Grovetown is looking to expand.
Earlier this month, the church submitted a request to Columbia County’s planning department to rezone its four-acre campus at 6001 Horizon West Parkway from M-2 General Industrial to S-2 special.
The narrative attached to the rezoning application cites the growth of the congregation since the county approved rezoning the church’s location at 777 Horizon South Parkway in 2013, repurposing the former warehouse building and opening for services in 2014.
The former property owner of the West Parkway parcel was Flag Real Estate Holdings, with whom Warren Grovetown began negotiations several years ago to acquire better access to the South Parkway property, along with more parking space. This eventually lead to the church purchasing the Horizon West parcel in October of this year, the narrative states.
The Horizon West Parkway property holds a 19,000 square foot warehouse building, more than 6,000 of which is completed office space, currently occupied by bulk bag manufacturer Palmetto Industries.
The church intends to use the building as an extension of its Grovetown campus after Palmetto Industries vacates it in spring of 2024 to use its own new 50,000 square foot facility presently under construction. The church plans to then make cosmetic upgrades and add more parking space.
Nicholas DeAngelo of FX Spine & Performance Center in Evans has applied for a conditional use at 454 Columbia Industrial Blvd. to use one of the property’s warehouses, at 1,500 square feet, as a gym, for both “one on one and group training.” The Evans physical therapy center, currently located on SRP Drive, specializes in treatment for pain issues through various physical training therapies.
The Columbia County Planning Commission is scheduled to address both items in its meeting on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
