Residents press stormwater and HOA concerns as planning commission recommends 38-home rezoning at Bartram Trail

The Columbia County Planning Commission on June 18 recommended approval of a major planned-unit-development revision to rezone 401 Bartram Trail Club Drive for 38 single-family residential lots.

Staff presentation: Planning staff member Dylan told commissioners the parcel was originally platted for commercial use but has remained undeveloped since 1999. He said topography, a creek along the rear property line and a single-access road about 1,400 feet long present engineering constraints, but that similar nearby parcels and buffering make the proposed residential use compatible with the county's medium-density residential character area. Staff recommended approval of the revision (RZ260604).

Why it matters: The change would convert an undeveloped commercial parcel facing Columbia Road into a residential neighborhood. Neighbors said the project’s technical and community details — stormwater controls, fencing and whether the new lots will be incorporated under the existing HOA covenants — matter to property values, traffic and environmental impacts.

Neighbor concerns and developer response: Jason Page, owner of Bartram Trail Golf Club, urged stronger enforcement and remediation for sediment and turbidity reaching his irrigation ponds, saying recent construction upstream has left ponds partially filled with sediment and damaged irrigation capacity. "If the silt fence was working ... my pond wouldn't be orange," Page said, describing repeated reports to county staff and past citations that he said did not resolve ongoing turbidity.

Resident Paige Rivera, speaking as a 16-year neighbor, said an informal neighborhood poll indicated conditional support for residential zoning but requested more time for the HOA to review and to secure a formal agreement folding the new lots into the association. "We're okay with the rezoning proposal with one huge caveat — it has to be part of the HOA and the covenants," she said.

Developer Eric Bedingfield, who identified himself as the owner and a Marching Trail resident, said residential development would likely generate far less traffic than a commercial strip center and that he has met with the HOA board. Bedingfield said he would consider additional erosion-control measures — including double silt fencing and other best-management practices — and that some lots facing the golf course could be larger homes to preserve neighborhood character.

Outcome and next steps: A commissioner moved to recommend approval of RZ260604; the motion passed by voice/hand-raise. The Planning Commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners for final action on July 7, 2026. If the board approves the rezoning, the developer must still return for preliminary and final plats and any required stormwater approvals before construction.