City officials consider approving a tiny home village, Recreation audit and closing three problem businesses and more this week.
In the last set of meetings before the Masters Tournament, Augusta Planning Commission, the Augusta Commission and Augusta, Georgia Land Bank Authority will consider the following. Columbia County’s Board of Commissioners and Planning Commission also meet this week.
Augusta Planning Commission
Going before the planning commission at its 2 p.m. pre-meeting and 3 p.m. meeting Monday for recommendations include:
- A rezoning and variance to allow a tiny home village at a former city park property on Merry Street. The development includes a clubhouse and 25 tiny homes intended to house youth aging out of the foster system.
- Adopting a special exception to accomodate medical cannabis dispensaries.
- Rezoning 28 acres of the former Green Meadows Golf Course for a 1,000-unit apartment and townhome development.
Planning Commission meetings are streamed live on Augusta’s Youtube channel.
MORE: Developer seeks to build residential development at former site of Green Meadows golf course
Augusta Commission
The Augusta Commission has a called closed-door meeting at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss litigation, real estate and personnel, after which it will consider the following:
- Revoking, suspending or placing on probation the business licenses of two crime-prone stores. They are Smart Grocery, 3221 Wrightsboro Road, and Shopper’s Stop, 1649 Olive Road. Residents and officials have complained the stores attract crime, including homicides at each in the last six months.
MORE: Is Smart Grocery not so smart?
MORE: Neighbors push for help with crime, flooding
- Commissioner Stacy Pulliam is calling to rescind the probation given to crime-prone Club Climax. The 1855 Gordon Hwy. club, also known as Club Rain, has failed to comply with Augusta’s alcohol ordinance, Pulliam said. Proprietor Voncelies Allen has argued that his late-night club doesn’t serve alcohol.
- The commission will consider conducting an internal audit of Augusta Parks and Recreation. This comes after the sudden resignation of Director Maurice McDowell Feb.14. Commissioner Sean Frantom, who called for the audit, said it needs to include the following, for the years 2021-2023:
- Detailed expenditures at Lake Olmstead Park
- All community center users and amounts collected from each
- River Walk expenditures including $150,000 intended for the Eighth Street Bulkhead
- All Recreation vendor expenditures and tasks performed
- All park expenditures broken down by park
- All hotel stays by Recreation personnel
- Candlelight Jazz expenditures and revenues by event date
- A search for deleted Recreation personnel or financial documents
- A review of all contracts valued at $25,000 or less
- Recommendations for replacing paper processes with automated ones
Commission meetings are streamed live on Augusta’s Youtube channel.
Augusta, Georgia Land Bank Authority
The land bank meets at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Among its business items are the transfer of 2502 Allen St., the former Blount Park, to Sand Hills Urban Development. Represented by Tim Wilson, the group has acquired over a dozen land parcels in Sand Hills and elsewhere.
The land bank will hear from Augusta’s homeless task force about its acquisition of 2110 Broad St. It also will discuss creating its own personnel board.
Land Bank Authority meetings are streamed live on the Land Bank’s Youtube channel.
