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Board approves subdivision plats, a major warehouse site plan and a telecom tower; other planning items cleared
Summary
At its May 6 meeting the Effingham County Board approved final plats for Laurel Grove Phase 2 and Ramsey Landing Phase 3A (after corrections), approved a 251,000‑square‑foot Butler Belfort warehouse sketch/site plan, and cleared a 99‑foot telecommunication monopole site plan; several conditional use and variance matters were also granted.
The Effingham County Board of Commissioners approved multiple planning and land‑use items May 6 after staff technical reviews and corrective changes.
The board accepted the final plat for Laurel Grove Subdivision Phase 2 (49 lots on Highway 30), noting the subdivision includes county water and sewer and that roads are dedicated to the county. Commissioners approved Ramsey Landing Phase 3A (52 lots off Ebenezer Road) after staff confirmed property corner markers and corrected plat notes complying with the 12,000‑square‑foot minimum lot size for R‑1 subdivisions.
On site plans, planning staff presented a sketch plan for the Butler Belfort warehouse, a proposed roughly 251,000‑square‑foot building on 19.46 acres off Old Augusta Road South. Land‑use planner Liz Sapp reported required features on the plan including a 25‑foot buffer, a 50‑foot building setback, a 2.95‑acre pond north of the warehouse, FEMA and Army Corps compliance where wetlands or floodplain are present, and fire‑suppression and emergency‑responder radio coverage requirements. The board approved the site plan.
The board also approved a 95‑foot monopole telecommunication tower (99 feet including lightning rod). County staff said the engineering letter demonstrated the tower’s breakaway/buckle zone and the revised plan shows a 30‑foot setback from lot lines meeting ordinance fall‑zone requirements.
Conditional use and variance actions included approval for a rural business (company equipment yard) on Little McCall Road, where the applicant said truck and equipment storage would be located on the front upland portion of the property outside mapped wetlands, and a variance to allow a roughly 30‑foot accessory structure height in the Silverwood planned development (applicant said neighboring garages exceed the 15‑foot guideline). Commissioners granted both requests.
Decisions versus staff direction: the board approved each item on the consent or action calendar after staff verified required corrections (for plat notes, property corners and setbacks). Several items that had previously been postponed were rescheduled or withdrawn by applicants.
Why this matters: the approvals include a large warehouse site that will add industrial floor area and a telecommunication tower expected to improve local service; several residential subdivision approvals advance new housing inventory.
