The developers of a residential community near Clarks Hill Lake are seeking a variance to bring the project further along.
In 2021, Jean Whitaker and Donald Tatum submitted a request to rezone more than 20 acres at 3850 Kamper Klub Road from R-4 Residential Agricultural to S-1 Special. There they aimed to develop Abundance Pointe, an agricultural community with 10 single-family home lots, along with amenities such as a club house, a pool, a walking trail, a barn and even a farm store.
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Whitaker and Tatum had sought the S-1 Special zoning district to allow for the store, as well as an event venue and campground.
The county had originally been slated to consider the request in December of that year, but the applicants postponed the item to March of the following year, granting time to obtain written agreement from neighbors along Kamper Klub Road for the acquisition of right of way and the widening and paving of the road.
Following suit of the planning staff’s recommendation, the Columbia County Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend approval of the rezoning request on March 3, 2022, with only Al Dempsey, at the time vice chair of the Planning Commission, opposing.
However, about two weeks later the Board of Commissioners denied the request, with only Chairman Doug Duncan and then-District 4 Commissioner Dewey Galeas voting in favor.
The project has pushed through with the R-4 zoning. On June 11, Whitaker requested a variance for a portion of the parcel, at what is now 0 Abundance Way, to allow for a 2,200-foot-long cul-de-sac in the subdivision, rather than the maximum 700 feet permitted in the county ordinance.
Whitaker notes the steep terrain and “unusual shape” of the tract, and states that adherence to the ordinance would require installing a long private drive beyond the cul-de-sac that would restrict both development and access for emergency vehicles.
In July, Whitaker also applied for a temporary use authorization to allow for a security office on the property during construction.
The concept plans for Abundance Point now shows nine residential lots, and still includes the horticultural space, a barn and a clubhouse. Initially, the plans for what was then touted as a three-phase development projected a 2025 completion date. Its website now says the development of the residential lots is expected to be completed by 2027.
The Columbia County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the variance request during its meeting on Aug. 1, and the temporary use authorization on Aug. 15.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
