Construction to start on Riverwood center

Developers of a Publix shopping center near the entrance of Riverwood Plantation received final plat approval Thursday from the Columbia County Planning Commission.

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Riverwood Town Center, a 15-acre retail development, will include five other lots fronting either Washington Road or William Few Parkway. A CVS pharmacy will occupy the front corner lot.

Developers can begin construction now that they have final plat approval. Landscaping along Washington Road and William Few Parkway, and between each lot, will be required. Clearing of the property started in October.

Also at the meeting, planning commissioners rejected a request to remove sidewalks from the final plat of The Battery on Gibbs Road. The subdivision encompasses 25 lots on about 81/2 acres.

The developer wanted to do away with sidewalks in the subdivision to speed up sales of each lot, according to county documents. Sidewalk installation was an initial requirement when the preliminary plat was approved in 2006.

Developer Susan Porterfield said she felt the traffic inside the subdivision would be minimal, but county planner Justin Snyder said residential safety outweighs the construction costs of sidewalks.

"As traffic picks up on Gibbs Road, there's going to be more and more calls for sidewalks to protect those residents," he said.

The development is located near Evans Elementary School and West Acres Baptist Church.

In other business, the planning commission approved a final plat and site plan revisions to 18 lots on nearly four acres at River Call, a section of the Crawford Creek development near the Farmington subdivision off Hereford Farm Road. The changes call for detached four-apartment and duplex buildings, but the average lot size will remain at 7,600 square feet.

Also, a preliminary plat for 68 townhome units on more than 12 acres at High Meadows off Chamblin Road was approved by the planning and zoning board. A change in the proposed street layout in a section of High Meadows off Gallaway Drive also was approved.