Zoning board denies request to slice size of development

A decrease in size for a planned unit development on Furys Ferry Road was denied Thursday by the Columbia County Planning Commission.

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Situated between Black-stone Camp and Evans to Locks roads, the site for The Village at Furys Ferry was invalidated by a previous decision of the zoning board during its meeting, commission Chairman Dean Thompson said.

Blanchard and Calhoun Commercial, the developer for the project, wanted to downsize it from 14 to about 12 acres.

The owner of the two acres meant to be omitted from the project, however, objected to a plan to revert the zoning of his property to residential.

Martinez lawyer Bill Williams, who represented landowner Jimmie Powell at the meeting, argued that such a rezoning would greatly devalue the property.

Powell asked that the zoning for his property fronting Blackstone Camp Road be changed to professional, but the planning commission could not legally grant that request because it had not been previously advertised as such.

Instead, the commission decided to keep the property as part of the development.

Nearby residents of The Village objected to the site plan changes because developers failed to provide artist renderings of building facades proposed for the development.

Officials from Blanchard and Calhoun Commercial told the commission that no artists renderings were provided to planning staff because they were not yet satisfied with the facade design.

The commission is just a recommending body. A final decision on the site changes for The Village at Furys Ferry will be made by the Columbia County Commission at its June 5 meeting, said Jeff Browning, the county's planning and development director.

In other action, the zoning board approved a plan for a mixed-use development, anchored by Publix grocery store, fronting Riverwood Plantation on Washington Road.

The 61-acre site includes the 46,500-square-foot Publix and room for up to 10 more shops or restaurants.

Developers agreed to maintain a 25-foot buffer zone between the site and Washington Road while the property is graded.

Although some planning staffers questioned the need for two proposed entry points into the site from Washington Road, project developers said the state Department of Transportation signed off on the plan.