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Planning commission recommends conditional use for daycare on Flowing Wells Road despite resident traffic concerns
Summary
The commission recommended approval of a conditional use that would allow a 13,000-square-foot daycare at 450 Flowing Wells Road; residents flagged traffic and safety concerns and asked for further traffic planning at the engineering phase.
The Columbia County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit allowing a proposed daycare at 450 Flowing Wells Road. Staff presented a conceptual site plan showing a roughly 13,000-square-foot building, a fenced outdoor play area and an initial operating plan of about 40 children that could grow to around 200 at full build-out.
Why it matters: Daycare and school uses generate concentrated drop-off and pick-up traffic that can affect nearby residential streets. Planning staff and the applicant discussed traffic timing and circulation as key unresolved engineering details to be addressed in site-plan review.
Staff presentation and applicant comments: Planning staff said the conceptual layout meets state space requirements (35 square feet indoor per child and 100 square feet outdoor per child) and that the applicant proposed operational measures, including staggered pickup times and on-site queuing, to reduce roadway impacts. David Wallace, representing the franchise and franchisee interests, said the facility’s drop-off and pick-up flow can be supported if adequate parking and circulation (he cited up to 45 parking spaces as helpful) are provided.
Public concerns and response: Several nearby residents, including Angela Lewis of Benson Court, told the commission they are worried about traffic on Flowing Wells Road and the safety of children crossing or being dropped off near a busy segment. "It's very dangerous already... the biggest thing that concerns me is Friday night football games... it's so dark," Lewis said, describing heavy traffic and visibility challenges. Staff acknowledged the neighborhood’s safety concerns and said the final entrance location and traffic handling would be resolved during engineering and site-plan review.
Decision and conditions: The commission voted to recommend the conditional use permit for the daycare (filed in the meeting as "file RZ25-405 conditional use for a daycare at 450 Flowing Wells Road"). Staff noted that Traffic Engineering had not required a specific binding entrance condition at the hearing because the final engineering analyses were not complete; the commission’s recommendation does not waive required engineering or safety approvals.
Next steps: The recommendation will be forwarded to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners for final action. If the Board approves the conditional use, the applicant must complete engineering-level traffic and drainage plans and obtain building and other permits before site construction.
