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Commissioners recommend denial of Oak Ridge Estates deplat after residents oppose commercial conversion
Summary
After extensive public comment from Oak Ridge Estates residents, the board voted to recommend denial of a deplat that would allow adjoining parcels along State Road 47 to be combined and marketed for commercial use.
Columbia County commissioners voted to recommend denial of an application to deplat Lot 1 of Oak Ridge Estates after more than a dozen residents testified in opposition, citing deed restrictions, flooding and environmental concerns, and traffic safety on State Road 47 and Ridge Street.
The county heard from the applicant’s representative, Jimmy Pittman, who said Dr. Montre (property owner) wished to combine two parcels abutting State Road 47 to make the property marketable for sale and future commercial development. Pittman said his client has prospective buyers and argued the location was appropriate because it adjoins commercial frontage at the interchange.
Residents who live in Oak Ridge Estates gave detailed reasons for opposing the deplat. Jim Moses presented signatures representing 35 of 56 lots (63%) opposing the application and argued the proposed change would bypass the subdivision’s deed restrictions and be inconsistent with the subdivision’s Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) and future land‑use designations. Several residents, including Greg Bailey and Mike Noel, cited FEMA floodplain and drainage issues associated with Clay Hole Creek and Cannon Creek, saying much of the northern boundary is in a floodplain or floodway. Others described everyday safety concerns: narrow local roads used by pedestrians, bicyclists and golf‑carts and multiple existing driveways in a short highway stretch.
Commissioners asked questions about access, future zoning steps and wetland/permitting issues. Pittman said any new access would have to be permitted by the Florida Department of Transportation and Suwannee River Water Management District for wetland impacts.
After public comment ended the commissioner for the district moved to recommend denial of the deplat application. The motion carried on a voice vote. The recommendation to deny will be recorded in the planning record and sent along to any subsequent hearings required by county procedures.
No formal plan for commercial development was presented; the applicant’s representative stated the immediate intent was to reconfigure parcels to facilitate a future sale. Residents asked the county to honor existing subdivision restrictions and to require that any change be sought through the lot‑owners’ amendment process spelled out in their deed restrictions.
The board’s denial recommendation preserves the subdivision’s current configuration and postpones any rezoning or plat changes that would enable commercial conversion.
