Advisory board backs three-year tax rebate, pledges county match for lift station to spur Highway 47 development

The Columbia County Economic Development Advisory Board voted unanimously at a special meeting to recommend a three-year property-tax rebate for a commercial project along the Highway 47/I-75 corridor and to offer a county match to a city contribution for a regional sewer lift station.

The move aims to advance infrastructure that developer Scott Stewart told the board he says is needed to secure tenants including grocery and quick-service retailers and to deliver what he described as new jobs and tax base to the county.

Why it matters: The board’s recommendation and the proposed county match are intended to pay for the last segment of utilities for a multi-year private development that backers say could unlock commercial parcels, new jobs and new tax revenue. Final approval of any tax rebate or county funding is reserved to the Board of County Commissioners.

Developer’s pitch and timeline Scott Stewart, the landowner and developer, told the advisory board that the project has been pursued for roughly eight to 10 years and that multiple infrastructure and permitting obstacles have delayed buildout. Stewart said he has redesigned plans in the last 18 months to create a commercial corridor, and that he has been marketing the site to tenants including grocery chain Publix, quick-service restaurants and local retailers.

Stewart described a planned “regional” lift station and said he has bids and a contractor lined…