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 traffic on Flowing Wells Road and concerns about a nearby house they described as poorly maintained; staff said code enforcement could follow up on property‑maintenance issues. Traffic engineering reviewed the concept but did not place a specific entrance condition on the commission’s recommendation; final access and any traffic mitigation would be addressed during engineering and permitting. The commission voted to recommend the conditional use.

Plats, variances and site plans

- Edgar Houston Builders: The commission recommended approval of a preliminary and final plat for a 26‑lot subdivision off Bill Dorn Road in the RA (residential‑agricultural) district. Minimum lot sizes were reported as about 2.52–2.64 acres with an average just over 4 acres. Sewer is not available at the site and applicants provided soil surveys that the health department approved. Staff recommended approval and the commission forwarded the plats to the Board of Commissioners.

- Hamilton Grove concept revision: Staff presented a revised concept that splits a previously approved 136‑lot layout into two sections and removes several proposed creek crossings because a change in fire code raised the lot threshold for a second access point. Staff noted an existing variance that prevents mass grading for some Hamilton Road lots; applicants asked separately to remove a left‑turn lane condition but staff said that is not part of the concept‑plan revision. The commission recommended approval of the revised concept.

- Cul‑de‑sac variance and Southwind Phase 5: The commission approved a variance to allow a cul‑de‑sac substantially longer than the county’s usual 700‑foot limit at 414 Callaway Road Extension. Staff explained steep topography and state waters made an alternate connection infeasible and recommended the variance. The related concept plan for Southwind Phase 5 — about 70 single‑family lots with more than 36 acres of open space and required Callaway Road intersection improvements — was also recommended for approval.

- Stablebridge Way grading variance: For a proposed phase of the 4 Oaks subdivision off Stablebridge Way, staff recommended allowing major site grading while retaining a 30‑foot undisturbed golf‑course buffer (rather than expanding to a 50‑foot buffer that major grading would normally trigger). Staff and the applicant said the site’s configuration and existing adjacent preserved lands produce an effective buffer greater than 50 feet; the commission recommended approval.

- River Island driveway/PUD revision: The commission approved a Major PUD revision to allow a driveway from Marsh Point Road for a small accessory building (golf‑cart garage/workspace) on combined parcels previously designed as alley‑loaded lots. The applicant proposed permeable stone pavers with grass infill to reduce visual impact; staff recommended approval.

Temporary residence, home occupations and other business items

- Temporary use authorization: The commission granted a 12‑month temporary use authorization for a camper to serve as a primary residence at 5790 Harlem Grove Town Road after Hurricane Helene damaged the property’s manufactured home. The applicant, Ronald Combs, described recent thefts at the site and asked to move into the camper while repairs proceed.

- Home occupations and S‑1 revision: The commission recommended approval of a provisional home‑occupation application for a site‑preparation business (equipment parked on an RA lot) and forwarded a Major S‑1 revision request at 2240–2248 William Few Parkway that would allow a retail nursery and small gift shop in addition to existing contractors’ offices, subject to conditions carried forward from the 2020 rezoning (including limiting active businesses to two and maintaining a buffer along William Few Parkway). That S‑1 revision passed by a 4–1 vote.

Text amendments

The commission recommended approval of three county text amendments that will go to the Board of Commissioners:

- Chapter 74 (subdivision procedures): Staff said the revision clarifies when concept plans are required, reduces repetitive concept‑plan hearings for minor changes, and codifies existing practice for minor plats when developing off county roads.

- Chapter 90 (buffers and screening): The recommended changes reduce the default residential buffer from 50 feet to 25 feet under many scenarios, require buffers to be held as separate, perpetually maintained areas (typically by an HOA), and add flexibility (for example, allowing berms or using existing non‑developable land, like floodplain, as part of a buffer when appropriate). Staff noted the change arose from extensive discussions with developers and county staff and said plan review will remain available for special situations.

- Chapter 91 (landscaping): The commission recommended approval of technical updates to the landscaping code, including clarifying acceptable street‑tree spacing and better front‑end coordination on HOA and common‑area plantings.

Votes at a glance (planning commission recommendations forwarded to board)

- Massage operator licenses (Pure Motion LLC; RavenWolf LLC d/b/a Massage Nomad; Rosewater Spa and Wellness LLC): recommended approval. - Hamilton Grove — revised concept plan: recommended approval. - Edgar Houston Builders — preliminary plat (26 lots): recommended approval. - Edgar Houston Builders — final plat (same project): recommended approval. - Temporary use authorization — 5790 Harlem Grove Town Road (camper, hurricane damage): recommended approval (12 months). - RZ25‑401 — major PUD revision, 801 Ronald Reagan Drive (Pinnacle Bank): recommended approval. - VA250401 — variance to cul‑de‑sac length, 414 Callaway Road Extension: recommended approval. - Southwind Phase 5 — concept plan (70 lots): recommended approval. - Provisional home occupation — Sandhurst Crown/Santa Cruz Ground Solutions (Dogwood Trail): recommended approval. - RZ25‑0402 (Major S‑1 revision), 2240/2248 William Few Parkway — allow nursery/gift shop and modify setbacks: recommended approval (vote recorded 4–1). - RZ25‑0403 — rezoning to allow an Augusta Christian elementary school at 316 Baston Road: recommended approval with conditions (sewer connection; engineering/traffic issues to be addressed at site plan). - Major PUD revision — River Island driveway (Marsh Point Road): recommended approval. - Conditional use — daycare at 450 Flowing Wells Road: recommended approval. - VA250402 — variance to allow major site grading with a 30‑foot interior buffer at Stablebridge Way (4 Oaks): recommended approval. - Text amendments: Chapter 74 (subdivision procedures), Chapter 90 (buffers and screening), Chapter 91 (landscaping): recommended approval.

What happens next

All recommendations will go to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners for final action on May 6, 2025. Commission staff said many approvals include conditions that require final engineering, health‑department signoff (where sewer is needed), or fire‑marshal signoff before construction permits are issued.