Residents of the Jones Creek subdivision in Evans gathered Sunday afternoon in the auditorium of the Columbia County government complex to discuss the new rezoning request for the neighborhood’s clubhouse.
Developer Mark Herbert, who owns the property, applied last month to have it rezoned from planned unit development, or PUD, to S-1, or Special zoning, for the clubhouse to operate as a restaurant, catering service and event space open to the public.
Tripp Nanney, president of Jones Creek’s homeowners’ association, presided over the meeting, which functioned as a kind of town hall to allow homeowners from the subdivision to ask questions about the proposed rezoning and its ramifications.
“We’ve been told for a long time that our support would be needed to rezone anything in Jones Creek, but politics come into play,” said Nanney. “I’d like to think our collective voice would make a big difference on that.”
According to a survey conducted by the homeowners’ association, some 79% of responding residents oppose the rezoning, Nanney said.
The former clubhouse, located at 777 Jones Creek, sits in the middle of the Jones Creek PUD, which also includes the residential subdivision, and the golf course—which closed in 2018.
In October of 2018, the Board of Commissioners approved a minor revision of the Jones Creek PUD narrative to include restaurant and catering services so that Katerwerks Hospitality could operate from the clubhouse, which it went on to do under the management of Jones Creek Investors partner Ray Mundy.
The Jones Creek subdivision is in District 1 of Columbia County. Sunday’s discussion largely consisted of District 1 Commissioner Connie Melear and County Manager Scott Johnson fielding questions from the audience of residents about the county’s municipal processes pertaining to the rezoning request.
“Some of you will remember, if you went in there during any time while Ray Mundy was running Katerwerks, you could look over in the corner, and you can see a little table over there where he had hats and shirts [etc.] that said ‘Jones Creek,’” Johnson said. “Why do we have to have that at Katerwerks? Because that’s what the PUD required—to be a clubhouse for the golf course.”
In 2019, Herbert purchased the property, including both the clubhouse and the parking lot, from Jones Creek Investors LLC.
Johnson went on to explain that the purchase agreement allowed a three-year period during which Herbert would be required to sell the clubhouse to any party who purchased the golf course for the purchase amount plus the cost of any improvements.
“So now you have a person that owns a piece of property within the larger piece, within the PUD,” said Johnson. “He’s saying, to protect his rights, that he no longer wants to be part of that PUD. He no longer wants to be part of what the golf course is, he doesn’t want to be restricted to having Jones Creek shirts, hats and those sort of things.”
Addressing concerns that an approval of the rezoning could eventually give way to further unwanted development on the property, Johnson explained that properties zoned S-1 Special district are restricted to the uses outlined in a narrative accompanying the application—in the case of the former Jones Creek clubhouse, the restaurant and hospitality venue.
This would mean that if anyone else were to purchase the property and had any other intentions besides those specifically listed in its narrative, that party would have to seek another rezoning.
Johnson sought to reassure the residents that any decision made by the county was not based on accommodating developers to secure more tax revenue.
“We are in the best financial position that we’ve ever been,” the county manager said. “We don’t have some desire or need to make more money, therefore we don’t make decisions on what’s going to make the county more tax money when it comes to residential buildings. It just simply doesn’t happen.”
Commissioner Melear echoed this point, stressing that homes are a “net negative” revenue, as two-thirds of property taxes go towards the school district, and the remainder toward public services.
“The current commissioners have no appetite to change any part of that golf course to residential,” Melear said, addressing concerns about potential developments on the roughly 195 acres of the now-defunct golf course. “No apartments, no town homes; I’m absolutely against any of that, and I would never vote to have you have extra houses in your backyard.”
Both Johnson and Melear raised the issue of how well the easement along the parcel was defined, and whether an approval of the S-1 zoning would enable Herbert to restrict access, inhibiting residents’ access to the subdivision’s tennis court and swimming pool.
However, Jeff Peil, the Jones Creek HOA’s attorney, noted that while the easement along the clubhouse property is clearly defined, including ingress and egress as well as use of the parking lot, issues could arise regarding maintenance costs. Herbert’s attorney, Peil said, would not arbitrate on an agreed amount the HOA would regularly contribute towards maintenance.
“The legal issue is whether or not he has the right to terminate,” said Peil. “Put up the sign and say, ‘Well, since I never got a payment, I’m terminating. It’s done,’ and what would happen. Invariably, it would be litigation.”
Golf tourism company Bond Golf Global is in contract with owner Julian Saul to improve the course’s driving range, maintenance area and surrounding land starting in late February. Nanney read a statement sent by Andrew Brooks, the owner of Bond Golf Global, laying out a multi-phase plan to develop a training and practice facility to open in the fall, and to find investors help redevelop the course.
Harry Revell, Saul’s attorney, noted the several thwarted attempts to secure a buyer for the golf course without the clubhouse attached, as well as the likelihood that Herbert has seen little return on his investment in the clubhouse property.
“The problem with this opportunity, for both the homeowners and for Julian Saul, is if another person buys this property, is successful getting it rezoned, and puts something in there that is commercially viable, whatever that might be, you will never have a golf course,” said Revell.
Nanney encouraged the residents to attend the Planning Commission meeting where the rezoning request will be first heard, on Thursday, Feb. 2, and then the Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
