AUGUSTA (Georgia) — Residents of Upset Jones Creek are planning to appeal a Columbia County Planning Commission decision, which they claim is threatening the future development of the abandoned golf course.
Thursday’s Columbia County Planning Commission vote approved a minor change to the legal use of property at 777 Jones Creek by its owner.
In September 2018, the golf course was closed. The clubhouse and adjacent parking lot of the golf course were purchased by Mark Herbert, a homebuilder, in 2019. They rented the building to a catering company while the course, which was still without a new owner fell into disuse, and then went bankrupt.
Herbert initially filed a request to the county to change its zoning designation from Planned Unit Development (S-1) so that it can only be used as an “event, hospitality, and meeting space; catering space, and kitchen space.” The building was not legal to be operated as a golf course.
Related: The future clubhouse of Jones Creek Golf Course is located at the center.
Previous reporting Residents still concerned
Jones Creek residents were outraged at the request. They wanted to see the course renovated. The Jones Creek Homeowners Association has previously stated that any plans to revive the golf course must include the centrally-located clubhouse.
Herbert submitted a second rezoning request. It’s not a request for zoning changes to S-1. Instead, it is a request to make minor changes to the Planned Unit Development (or PUD) conditions. The new request is not legally required to be approved by Columbia County Board of Commissioners. Only the Planning Commission must approve it. These members are elected by citizens and not elected by voters.
On Tuesday, May 21, 2019, weeds began to grow in the bunker at Jones Creek Golf Course in Evans, Ga. [MICHAEL HOLAH/THE AUGUSTA CHORONICLE]
Overflowing crowd members heard from more than one planning commissioner Thursday at the meeting that the board was deciding on the only change to the building’s hours of operation, which will be 6:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. seven day a week. The ban on trash pickup between 11 and 7 a.m.
Jones Creek resident Hammad Sheikh, an attorney, stated that the rezoning request was only for the expansion of “related service” to a possible catering business or restaurant and not to a clubhouse.
Sheikh asked, “If a company can operate as I believe the commission is implying, with the hours that they have, with the trash pick-up that’s available, and it’s more possible for that to be – then why are we here?” “We are only here because the little communication we get is telling us they will expand the related services.”
Trip Nanney, president, Jones Creek Homeowners Association, stated that 98% of Jones Creek residents voted against the proposed rezoning after a 615 vote survey. According to Trip Nanney, the upscale subdivision has 579 homeowners and “about 1200 registered voters.” Residents fear that the property on the golf course will be redeveloped piece by piece to increase the number of houses in the area.
Nanney stated that “this first little PUD revision opens the door to possible development, regardless of whether this Planning Commission or our current Board of Commissioners will accept it or not.”
Nanney stated that Jones Creek residents would decide the next steps after the vote of the commission. Al Dempsey, Chairman of the Planning Commission, stated that the Board of Commissioners can appeal the decision.
“Can we appeal? Do we appeal? Nanney stated that it would be ideal for us to appeal to the commissioners that we elect. Nanney said that if residents are required to appeal the decision, he would like them to do so. It sounds like they would.
