The Columbia County Board of Commissioners will discuss multiple rezoning requests at the meeting Tuesday evening.
One of the rezoning requests is for the proposed solar farm along Columbia Road across from Patriots Park. The applicant is seeking to rezone the property from Planned Unit Development (PUD) to S-1 (Special).
According to the agenda document, at the Planning Commission meeting, the Warren Kritko with Bijan Solar, said they are attempting to meet the buffer and setback requirements.
“They have a 35-year agreement with GA Power and then will be decommissioned. The solar panels are non-reflective. The property cannot be used as currently zoned due to the topography and wetlands. They will install a fence, shrubs and trees adjacent to the neighbors. They are not using any Chinese parts, so there will be no concerns with infiltration,” according to the agenda document.
Multiple community members spoke out against the rezoning request.
The planning commission voted against the request earlier this month and staff is recommending to disapprove the request.
A rezoning request for a luxury boat storage facility off Ridge Road in Appling is also on the agenda.
During the Planning Commission meeting, representative Matthew Padgett said the applicants have made changes based on concerns from the Planning Commission and the public.
“They will have a large natural buffer, and the flow of traffic concerns will be addressed. The owners are Columbia County residents. The front part of this parcel is already zoned commercial, so the rezoning wouldn’t be a drastic change. This will not be a high traffic use especially compared to the current zoning of the property,” according to the agenda document.
The Planning Commission also voted against this request and staff is recommending to disapprove it.
The Columbia County Board of Elections will meet Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium at the Evans Government Center Complex. To view the other rezoning request and full agenda, visit columbiacountyga.gov.
Columbia County Board of Elections
The Columbia County Board of Elections will meet Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 10:30 a.m. at the Board of Elections office.
Items on the agenda include an update on the Nov. 4 election preparations, update on list maintenance and voter registration figures.
To view the full agenda, visit columbiacountyga.gov.
