Rezoning granted, but use is restricted

A Martinez developer was granted his request for a townhome rezoning at Thursday's Columbia County Planning Commission, but he still left the meeting unhappy.

Developer Sana Ullah received rezoning for 2.12 acres behind Eagle Pointe shopping center on Washington Road from R-2 to T-R.

Neighbors objected to Ullah's plan to use a 30-foot-wide panhandle of the parcel connected to Gibbs Road as a second entrance to the proposed 14-unit development.

The entrance would come within 10 feet of two houses and "ruin our life," said neighbor Marion Woodward.

The planning commission approved the rezoning request, but stipulated the panhandle could not be used as a connection to Gibbs Road. Without the connector, Ullah said he would not build the project.

In other business, the planning commission:

- Approved a rezoning of the Marvin United Methodist Church property at 4400 Wheeler Road from R-2 to S-1, which is the correct zoning for a church. Because the church did not conform to current zoning, any future plan to expand the building might be difficult.

- Approved the withdrawal of a rezoning request for 193 acres on Wrightsboro Road near Grovetown from R-2 to a planned unit development.

- Approved final plats for Tudor Branch Section VII on Columbia Road and Sumter Landing II on Conn Drive, and preliminary plats for Somerset at Williamsburg IV on Hardy McManus Road and Sumter Landing III on Conn Drive.