Major developments in south Augusta, particularly along Windsor Spring Road, may be on the horizon, as at least three proposed residential subdivisions are on the agenda for the Planning Commission Monday.
Stanley Martin Homes has a development underway for one of its properties, requesting Richmond County rezone a 234-acre parcel from Agricultural to One-family Residential. The area is comprised of tracts of land on Windsor Spring, Patterson Bridge and Nunnery Roads.
“South Augusta is characterized by a suburban pattern of development,” said the Planning Department’s staff report on the rezoning request. “Residential development is characterized by low-density subdivisions dating from the 1950s to present, with mostly single-family detached units on uniform lots.”
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Stanley Martin’s proposed south Augusta project is a residential development with 563 single-family detached homes and 132 townhomes, all two stories. The subdivision is to include an athletic and activity field less than an acre, an amenities area with a swimming pool, walking trails and 80 acres of greenspace.
The Planning Department’s staff report notes that the development entails several new public streets, and that a traffic impact study by engineering firm AECOM resulted in the firm’s recommendation that a 175-foot eastbound right-turn lane and a 235-foot westbound left-turn lane be installed at nearby Willis Foreman Road.
Planning and Development, in its report, recommended approval of the rezoning under several conditions, among them that a collector street, or a street to direct traffic from local streets to arterial roads, be added to both entrances of the subdivision; that there be a 10-foot undisturbed buffer between the townhome lots and the Georgia Power powerline easement that runs through the center of the tracts; and that the division include a clubhouse.
A property on 2201 Harding Road, owned by Good Faith Management, LLC, is the subject of a request by applicant George Tullos to rezone from One-family to Multi-family residential in order to construct 62 one-bedroom and 22 two-bedroom apartments. The Planning Department recommends approving rezoning for the complex, though one if its conditions for approval is that residents are not below 55 years old.
“The 2018 Comprehensive Plan does not expressly recommend the proposed level of density/development,” said the staff report. “However, south Augusta has a notable absence of senior independent living options.”
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A 5.52-acre tract at 4309 Windsor Spring Road is the subject of another rezoning request from Robert Cooks and the B.A. Johnson Construction Company. This request to rezone from R-1A Single Family Residential, which allows only up to three lots per acre, to R-1E, which allows up to 10 units per acre.
This proposed subdivision would include 32 one and two-story single-family detached homes, two new public streets, a 4,200-square foot garden and 11,200 square feet of park space.
Planning and Development recommended denial of this request in its staff report, “due to the shallow lot depths proposed, failure to meet required rear setbacks, and the proposed right-of-way and roadway widths, which do not meet the Land Subdivision Regulations” for the city.
All three rezoning requests are scheduled to be addressed by the Planning Department in a public hearing on Monday, May 2.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering education in Columbia County and business-related topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
