The Columbia County Planning Commission is scheduled this week to consider an expansion of Jackson Heights, the Grovetown subdivision developed by Meybohm Realty.
Jackson Heights, LLC has submitted the final plat for the second phase of its neighborhood development. The planned new section is to comprise of 65 new lots, no less than 7,000 square feet, on some 34 acres off Old Belair Lane, including about 18 acres of open space.
The Board of Commissioners first approved of the project in November 2018, after CSRA Development Company and property owner Constance Jackson requested the county rezone 74 acres formerly used as farmland along Old Belair Lane from Light Industrial and Single-family Residential to Planned Residential Development.
The application then included a plan for 160 residential units altogether, built to accommodate a pond already on the property, and 40% greenspace.
The county approved the final plat of the first phase of Jackson Heights in May 2021, which included 95 residential lots.
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A vacant parcel on 206 Flowing Wells Rd. is the subject of an appeal to the county. Rhonda Calvin is seeking approval of her business license to run a personal care center on the property, which holds two buildings addressed 206 and 208 Flowing Wells.
Calvin applied for a business license for Wells Garden, the proposed home care center, on July 25 including with it the center’s state license the business already had. The county did not approve the request, however, as the property was now non-conforming, having been vacant for over 12 months and therefore being required to come into compliance with county codes prior to a new business operating on the property.
The appeal is to Section 90-132 of the county code ordinance, about Nonconforming Uses of Land and Structures, which states, among other things, that nonconforming uses of a building cannot be reestablished after discontinuance of operation for one year.
The staff report on the appeal notes that Calvin has been leasing the property since October of last year, and the owners, DeLoris and Thomas McBride, approve of Calvin’s intended business use.
“Staff does sympathize with the applicant having a lease and paying rent on a property that she has yet to use for a business,” said the report. “And recognizes that there is also a new property owner who seems interested and willing to make the required upgrades.
Calvin is requesting approval of the license while the site improvements are underway.
Mushanda Ray had requested conditional use of 208 Flowing Wells for a child daycare center last summer, but it was denied by both the Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners despite staff recommending approval.
The Columbia County Planning Commission is scheduled address the final Jackson Heights plat and the Flowing Wells Road parcel appeal during its meeting Thursday.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
