Although the sale of a parcel of land on Belair Road has been in the works for most of this year, details had been sketchy until recently.
The Columbia County Board of Education signed a purchase agreement for the Belair Elementary School site on Feb. 23, 2021, according to documents provided in response to an open records request.
A $50 million medical office complex is planned for the site contingent on the Columbia County Planning Commission approving a rezoning request.
MORE: CCBOE Rezoning Request Could Pave Way for $50 Million Belair Road Medical Complex
The information provided through the open records request shows that the board approved the purchase agreement with Crystal Creek, Inc. to sell the 14.8-acre plot for a price of $3,107,580. Crystal Creek Inc. is an Athens, Ga. company owned by Carl Nichols.
According to Nichols’ website, Nichols Land & Investment Co. was founded in 1976. The business started out serving local investors with advice on agricultural and timberland investments. Today, the company is a full-service real estate company specializing in timberland, rural land, recreational land and all classes of commercial property including office, retail, industrial and special use.
According to Augusta attorney David Hudson, a public vote is required for any board of education to sell property, and any deal that is agreed to without a public meeting isn’t binding until that vote occurs.
A local board of education is not required to put property out for for sale using a sealed bid like a county government is required to do. In the response to the open records’ request, an excerpt from O.C.G.A. Section 20-5-520 concerning school properties was included.
It states, “When, in the opinion of the county board, any schoolhouse site has become unnecessary or inconvenient, they may sell it in the name of the county board; and the conveyance for any such sale shall be executed by the president or the secretary of the county board, according to the order of the county board.”
In a Columbia County Board of Education meeting on Feb. 23, minutes from the session state, “Board Member Lee Ann Meyer made a motion to accept the contract offered by Crystal Creek, Inc., to purchase the Belair Road property, as discussed in Executive Session, seconded by Vice-Chairman David Alalof, and approved by Chairman David Dekle, Vice-Chairman David Alalof, Board Member Lee Ann Meyer, and Board Member Judy Teasley. Board Member Kristi Baker voted against the motion.”
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The parties involved signed a non-disclosure agreement on Feb. 8, confirming what multiple sources involved said about the project over the last few weeks.
The proposed development consists of up to 150,000 square feet in as many as two buildings, according to the rezoning request. The larger of two buildings is expected to be closer to North Belair Road with the smaller building behind it.
The concept plan shows the larger building as a three-story, 90,000 square-foot facility, and the rear building is shown as a two-story, 50,000 square-foot building. The actual building sizes could vary with the maximum square footage between the two buildings being 150,000 square feet, according to the zoning request.
The first public hearing for the 325 North Belair Rd. property is set for the Oct. 7 Planning Commission meeting. The narrative on the application states that traffic-related challenges as well as water and sewer line expansions have already been worked out with Columbia County.
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com.
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