Commission recommends disapproval of Tillery Park change of conditions over second‑access requirement

The Columbia County Planning Commission on Sept. 18 voted to recommend disapproval of a change of conditions request for Tillery Park that would have relaxed a rezoning requirement for a second public road connection. Planning staff told commissioners the original planned residential development (PRD) zoning approved in 2020 limited Tillery Park to final platting of no more than 300 lots until a second full access to either Canterbury Farms Parkway or Wrightsboro Road was constructed; staff said the connection is important for the broader traffic network, not just internal circulation. “Therefore, staff feels this connection's quite important, and we are recommending disapproval of the change of conditions request,” Danielle said. Jason Wingter, representing Tillery Park Development and Ivey Development, said the developer has final‑platted 271 lots to date and cited repeatedly delayed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits for stream crossings and wetland work as the reason they shifted work to an area across Baker Place Road that does not require Corps permits. Wingter described multiple, multi‑month Corps requests — cultural resource surveys, ground‑penetrating radar to further delineate an on‑site cemetery and endangered‑species checks for the Ocmulgee skullcap — that extended permitting by roughly two years and prevented construction of the proposed roadway. “We just couldn't stop progress on our project when we waited for the Corps of Engineers indefinitely,” Wingter said. Staff also noted that a separate developer working on Tillery Park South has been progressing toward a connection that could satisfy the second‑access condition once it is dedicated and opened; however, that connection was not yet public or dedicated at the time of the hearing. After the presentations and limited public testimony, the commission voted; the chair announced the motion was for disapproval and the motion carried. The vote is a recommendation to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners; final authority on zoning condition changes rests with the board.