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Commission approves S-1 rezoning for proposed food pantry and clothing ministry amid neighbor concerns
Summary
The board approved rezoning of a residential parcel to S-1 to allow a church-run food pantry, clothing ministry and small group meetings; neighbors raised child-safety, traffic and viewshed concerns during public comment.
The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved on July 1, 2025, a rezoning from R-3 to S-1 for a property at the corner of Briarwood and Old Evans Road (Tax Map 077B Parcel 118) to allow a church to operate a food pantry, clothing ministry and small-group meetings.
Planning staff said the church plans to operate the pantry and clothing ministry three days a week—Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays—with the facility closed to pantry operations after 6 p.m. and small-group meetings allowed until about 8 p.m. The site plan under review showed nine parking spaces; staff said trip generation was not expected to warrant additional traffic work.
A nearby resident, Valerie Lam, said she is concerned about safety and traffic, noting that elderly family members and small children use adjacent yards. “We are concerned about the people coming in and out to the mission,” Lam said. She identified her parents as being over age 70 and her children under age 10 and said she feared potential crime.
Planning staff acknowledged public comment at the planning commission stage and noted concerns included child safety, traffic speed and visibility into adjacent backyards. Staff also said a required structural buffer and fencing would need to meet landscaping and site-plan review requirements before final approvals.
The motion to rezone to S-1 was made, seconded and carried by voice vote. Planning staff said they are working with the church’s engineer to bring site improvements into compliance and that access to the site is strictly from Old Evans Road; no Briarwood access is planned.
Why it matters: Rezoning from residential to institutional can change traffic, parking and neighborhood character; residents expressed safety and viewshed concerns that will be addressed during site-plan review.
Ending: The rezoning was approved subject to conditions enumerated in the 06/19/2025 planning commission report; staff will require a site plan review and landscaping compliance before the facility can open for the proposed uses.
