A growing radio station, the planned Misty Meadows neighborhood and a proposed convenience store are among the items the Columbia County Planning Commission are set to address in its first meeting after Masters Week.
The Augusta Radio Fellowship Institute, or ARFI, has applied to rezone its 14 acres at 2278 Wortham Lane in Grovetown from Residential Agricultural to Special zoning.
The institute, incorporated by Clarence Barinowski in 1982, owns the Good News Network, which broadcasts Christian radio content via satellite to 22 affiliate stations throughout Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
According to the rezoning application’s letter of intent, the county granted ARFI a building permit in 2001 to construct offices on the property for the radio network. The existing offices are home to several other businesses owned by the Barinowski family, including Tichenor Real Estate, Heggie’s Rock Investments and Airstat.
The network is seeking to change the zoning because it now seeks expansion, with plans to add five new offices and increase its number of full-time employees from eight to 15. This entails plans to add a new building of more than 1,000 square feet to the radio station, business office, garage, sheds and mobile homes already on the property.
Coel Development is seeking a plan revision for its Misty Meadows subdivision project, which consists of more than 160 lots along some 49 acres at 5001 Meadows Drive in Grovetown.
One request for the revision calls for reducing established setbacks from 25 feet front yard and seven to six side yards, to 15 feet front yard and five to 10 side yard, with no less than 15 feet between homes. Coel is also requesting to eliminate the concept plan lot requirements for driveways and garage locations.
The Beazley Homes developer purchased the property and project from Golmar, Inc. in 2021. The parcel was rezoned from Residential Agricultural to Planned Residential Development in 2019. The county approved the preliminary plat in September of 2020.
Coel submitted a similar revision request to the county last spring, asking to reduce front and side setbacks. Both the Planning Commission and the Board of Commission disapproved the request.
Savannah-based Drayton Parker Companies is planning to build a 24-hour gas station and convenience store at a two-acre parcel at 0 William Few Parkway in Appling. The company along with property-owner Pollard Land Company have requested a variance to allow for this. The application also requests permission to include 30 spaces, which would exceed the 25 spaces allowed by Columbia County ordinances for a project of this size.
The next Columbia County Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for April 20 at 6 p.m. in Building A of the Evans Government Center.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
