Columbia County’s Planning Commission voted Dec. 11 to recommend approval of a rezoning that would permit a large aggregate quarry on multiple parcels off Lewisville Road, Baker Place Road and near I-20, a proposal that drew more than two hours of public comment from residents who warned of risks to wells, air quality, traffic and neighborhood character.

Staff presented the application (file RZ25-12-08), describing proposed site controls including a 100-foot undisturbed buffer around the quarry footprint, engineered berms up to 44 feet high, a reclamation plan and monitoring commitments such as seismographs to document vibration and overpressure. The applicant and project engineers said much of the property would remain undisturbed and that Georgia EPD permitting and other state and federal reviews are required before mining begins.

The commission’s recommendation came after more than 40 residents spoke at the public hearing. Dr. Morgan Groot, a nearby property owner, said she was “not here to focus on typical inconveniences” but on potential long-term harms: “My primary concern with this proposed quarry is air quality,” she said, citing peer‑reviewed studies linking fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) to respiratory harms in children. Several speakers, including Kaye Jones and Emily Walker, described chronic noise, foundation cracking and mental‑health impacts from blasting at existing quarries. Neighbors also raised water‑supply concerns, saying private wells rely on fractured granite aquifers that could be affected by blasting and dewatering.

Staff summarized the applicant’s environmental studies and modeling: the project’s preliminary air estimates project about 15 tons per year of PM10 and 2.3 tons per year of PM2.5; staff reported those amounts would be less than 1 percent of current county emissions in each category for the calendar year cited. Traffic modeling presented by the applicant estimated 100–125 truck trips per day, with peak periods producing roughly 48 vehicle trips (12 cars and 36 trucks). Staff included conditions in their recommendation requiring turn‑lane improvements on Lewisville Road, a subdivision plat to carve out the existing cell tower parcel, and coordination with Georgia DOT for Columbia Road access.

Residents pushed back on those assurances. Speakers described local bridge weight limits, high school and elementary school proximity, narrow rural roads used as cut‑throughs, and cumulative impacts with nearby proposed data centers. Several asked the commission to require that road and bridge improvements be completed before mining begins. Others said reclamation plans—often cited as future benefits—do not address decades of community health and property‑value impacts while operations are active.

Applicant representatives said the quarry operation would follow state and federal permitting requirements, that mitigation measures (berms, landscaping, road‑spraying for dust control, and limited operating hours) would be used, and that reclamation could ultimately produce a reservoir or other post‑mining uses. The applicant stated weekday operating hours of roughly 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and limited Saturday hours; staff later confirmed noise‑ordinance enforcement would apply.

After public comment and staff discussion, a motion to recommend approval with the staff‑proposed conditions carried. The Planning Commission’s action is advisory; the Board of Commissioners will take final action at its January meeting on 2026‑01‑06. The motion to recommend approval does not itself authorize permits, and the applicant must obtain required state permits (Georgia EPD and other agencies) and satisfy the county’s conditions before disturbance or mining activity begins.

Next steps: the County’s recommendation and the application materials will be forwarded to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners for a final decision on Jan. 6, 2026. The applicant and opponents may provide further testimony at that hearing; state permitting and any required engineering reviews will proceed in parallel.