Planning Commission recommends approvals for plats, variances, rezoning, text amendments; school and daycare plans draw public comment

The Columbia County Planning Commission at a meeting in late April recommended approval of more than a dozen plats, variances, rezonings and text amendments and forwarded them to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners for final action on May 6, 2025.

The commission approved preliminary and final plats for a 26‑lot subdivision by Edgar Houston Builders on Bill Dorn Road, a revised concept plan for Hamilton Grove that removes planned creek crossings, a major PUD revision to allow a Pinnacle Bank at 801 Ronald Reagan Drive, and a package of text amendments to subdivision, buffer and landscaping rules. The commission also recommended approval of a rezoning application for Augusta Christian School to build a new K–5 elementary campus on Baston Road and a conditional‑use request for a daycare at 450 Flowing Wells Road; both items drew public comment about traffic and safety and will be decided by the Board of Commissioners.

Augusta Christian: school plan and traffic concerns

The commission recommended rezoning of a roughly 42,000–46,000 square‑foot site on Baston Road for a new K–5 elementary building to allow the school to consolidate lower grades near its existing campus. Staff said the project must connect to county sewer as required by the health department and that traffic and fire‑access details will be resolved during engineering and site‑plan review. Joe Todd, who identified himself as a board member at Augusta Christian, said the change would let the school phase facility upgrades and keep administrators nearby. Terrence Vandiver, chair of the school’s board of trustees, told the commission the move would improve response times and allow modernized safety features. Resident Lisa Snowdy said she worried about Friday‑night traffic and pedestrian safety on Baston Road. The commission recommended approval and forwarded the rezoning to the Board of Commissioners.

Daycare at Flowing Wells Road

The commission recommended approval of a conditional‑use permit for a proposed roughly 13,000‑square‑foot daycare at 450 Flowing Wells Road that the applicant said would open with about 40 children and could grow toward 200. Staff and the applicant described indoor and outdoor space calculations that match state standards and showed an initial plan for parking and stacking. Several neighbors flagged heavy…