Planning commission recommends approval of rezoning for personal care home to add one resident

The Columbia County Planning and Zoning Commission on July 17 recommended approval of a rezoning request (RZ250703) to change 1.8 acres at 4933 Hereford Farm Road from R-1 (single-family residential) to S-1 (specialist) to allow Lily of the Valley Adult Care Solutions to increase the licensed capacity of its personal care home from six residents to seven. Planning staff described the property as an existing personal care home that opened in November and noted that increasing capacity to seven would classify the facility as a certified group home, triggering fire-code upgrades and a new certificate of occupancy through building standards. Staff said the applicant’s rationale — that adding a seventh resident would allow the owner to bill Medicare directly rather than rely on a third-party billing agency — was not a sufficient justification for rezoning, and staff recommended disapproval. Dr. Levi McCullough, the applicant, told the commission his facility meets state licensing through the Georgia Department of Community Health, has security fencing and video surveillance, and said the property already has the physical capacity to house more residents without structural changes. The commission voted to recommend approval; the item will go to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners for final action.