Columbia County neighbors in uproar over development plans
MARTINEZ, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - In Columbia County, some people are speaking out about the county approving a revision project on Park Lane.
Some worry the revision will bring more traffic to the already busy area on Furys Ferry Road.
“You’re adding more and more businesses into this area. The traffic is gonna get so bad that it’s going to put a stranglehold on all the neighborhoods around here,” said Peter Brown.
Brown, Danielle Farr and Jennifer Lowers all live in Forest Crossing. They’re afraid of what’s to come with the new development.
Lowers said: “It was approved five years ago. My concern is our community has changed a lot in five years. For perspective, I can conceive, birth a child and go into preschool faster than this project has broken ground.”
LATEST COLUMBIA COUNTY COVERAGE:
- Locally-owned business sees decreased foot traffic in Evans Towne Center
- ‘Nail in the coffin’: Stay Social owner speaks ahead of closure
- ‘We gotta have water’: Water service disruptions continue in the CSRA
- Despite closures, investor see potential at Evans Towne Center
More growth means more cars on the road.
Farr said: “With traffic increasing into the neighborhood, there’s going to be children walking down the street, no sidewalks, there’s going to be serious situations that are going to happen.”
The county says if the developers build to code these traffic issues won’t be issues. There are also concerns about flooding, since neighbors say it floods already.
Brown: “Not only are you putting pavement where there used to be grass, but you’re also now raising it up even higher so that it’s feeding into the floodplain that we already have.”
The deputy county manager says plans include an underground retention pond, which should help.
“I don’t see it being an impact to neighbors, actually I think when they develop this site, it’ll probably take some runoff off of the lady’s property behind. The natural shape of the land takes water onto her property. When they build this site, the curb and gutter will catch that water. It’ll put it into the storm system. It’s going to put it underground off of her property,” said Matt Schlachter, deputy county manager.
Commissioners approved the concept, and now the developers will have to submit the final plans before it gets the green light. Once plans are submitted, the county says they’ll review them for two to three weeks to ensure everything is up to code.
In other news
District 4 Commissioner Alison Couch was sworn in at Tuesday’s meeting.
Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
