The Columbia County Planning Commission voted to postpone the Jones Creek Homeowners Association’s request for a variance to accommodate rebuilding the subdivision’s pool house, amid protests from neighboring residents. That request, however, was not the only item on the commission’s agenda Thursday night that spurred concern from homeowners.
Landowner Lester Williams and local Christian organization 143 Ministries petitioned the county to rezone a 20-acre parcel at 5821 Rockford Drive from Residential Agricultural to Special District zoning.
The nondenominational nonprofit plans to refurbish a home on the property into an office, and build a 7,000-square foot church building and develop the land into a campground, complete with up to eight cabins. Many of its ministries are geared towards those in recovery from alcohol and substance abuse, and the cabins would be used for its counseling programs.
Planning staff recommended approving the request with the conditions that the parking spaces be paved—rather than the gravel parking the applicants requested—and that they provide a trip generation report to assess traffic.
While no one who came to the meeting to speak against the rezoning request, several expressed unease about issues surrounding its potential development.
Frances DeLong, a homeowner in the nearby Huntington Farms neighborhood, had worries about the growing traffic volume, as did Eric and Judy Horne, who also own a home in Huntington Farms.
“That amount of traffic is unreal,” said Judy Horne, underscoring that children regularly ride bikes and golf carts, and residents often walk their dogs, near the area. “To disturb a private little community right there, that’s a lot.”
Jed DeLong, whose parents live in the same area, specifically mentioned the substance abuse counseling aspect of the development as a concern. While not opposing such a program in principle, he stated that it could be a possible “threat stream” that could potentially attract a criminal element.
“Say I want to kick the habit… I drop something out of my car, and a kid picks up a bag of fentanyl,” said Jed DeLong. “What is going to result in? Nothing good… So, from a family perspective, in a residential area, I don’t see that element being what we want in that area.”
Ultimately, however, Planning Commissioner James Van Meter motioned to approve the rezoning request, with conditions, per staff’s recommendation. The commissioners voted in favor unanimously.
The Columbia County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to make a final determination on the rezoning request during its meeting Aug. 20.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
