Commissioners approve conditional use for distilled spirits store on Columbia Road

The Columbia County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 5 approved a conditional-use permit allowing retail package sales of distilled spirits for off-premise consumption at Tax Map 068 (portion of Parcel 003) on Columbia Road. Commissioner James E. Allen III moved to approve the permit; the motion was seconded and carried with a voice vote, with no roll-call tally recorded in the public minutes. The item sparked public comment both for and against the proposal. Matthew Padgett, representing Robin Sanvi LLC and principal Malay Patel, said the proposal met county requirements and the proposed store would be comparable to an existing, well-regarded operation the principal runs in Richmond County. Don Skinner, introduced at the meeting as former commissioner Don Skinner, urged the board to reject a liquor store at that location because of nearby residences and schools. Russell Wilder and neighbor Grace Welsh spoke in favor, saying the applicant had followed county rules, was a local small-business owner and had met neighborhood concerns about trees and fencing. Planning staff and the applicant said the proposed store meets minimum distance requirements from other retail outlets; Padgett told commissioners the site was “well in excess of the distances required” though he did not cite a numeric distance. Neighbor Grace Welsh said the owner offered to keep tree buffers and to erect a fence if neighbors preferred. In the meeting, Commissioner Allen disclosed a personal relationship with the applicant, saying Patel is a friend and a current client, and added Patel would not be his client for this business. No legal challenges or objections requiring referral were recorded during the vote. The permit approval does not itself change parcel zoning or building requirements; any construction or operational changes will be subject to county permitting and state licensing requirements for alcohol vendors.