The Columbia County Planning Commission agreed during a Thursday meeting to recommend a rezoning that will allow a new Evans shopping center.
The switch from commercial and residential zonings to a planned unit development for an almost 12-acre site at Columbia and Hereford Farm roads would allow a development anchored by a grocery store, according to county records.
"Apparently, the market has grown to the point of supporting a grocery store," said Jeff Browning, the county's director of planning and development.
Called the Village at Hereford Farm, the 180,000-square-foot development will include a 35,000-square-foot grocery store and other smaller stores.
Possibilities for the center include a dry cleaner and a pharmacy, said Matt Mills of Blanchard and Calhoun, the project developers.
"It's our intention to build a high-end neighborhood shopping center," Mr. Mills said.
Nearby residents, however, complained about increased traffic the retail center might attract.
Mr. Mills said the center will include turn lanes. He also mentioned that many area residents currently must travel to Evans or Grovetown to grocery shop. A neighborhood grocery store will both eliminate that and reduce traffic on Hereford Farm Road, he said.
The project should be completed within two years of the rezoning, according to county records.
The Columbia County Commission likely will review the rezoning at its March 18 meeting.
Reach Donnie Fetter at (706) 868-1222, ext. 115, or donnie.fetter@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
Could Earth Fare be getting some competition? The only grocery stores that build smaller 35,000 square feet stores in this area are Fresh Market, Earth Fare, and Whole Foods. We already have two of the above so... Could this be Whole Foods entrance into the market?
LOL!! Trukin, thanks for saving me the time and effort of typing just about every point I wanted to make! It's ridiculous and so very transparent the way things are going in Evans. Well, I live over by the Evans Wal-Mart, so the only thing I'm glad about is that maybe this will keep some of the traffic over there!
oh noes. can't drive more than 15 minutes to get my microwaved burrito.congratulations columbia county, you're well on your way to becoming Far west augusta.a sea of parking lots, chain restaurants.rest assured, soil runoff, increased traffic, noise, crime and pollution are also on the way.
Soon Columbia County will look like Richmond County with all of the old shells of strip centers abandoned. People moved to CC to get away from the commercialization......TrukinRanger addressed a lot in his comment as well.
Part of me likes the convenience of not having to go to Bobby Jones anymore, the other part misses the days of no traffic out here except going to and from your house. These empty buildings need to be redone before new ones constructed. Everything's already (parking, turn lanes, etc) in place.
The area is going to grow somewhere, it can't grow in Richmond County much at all, we have swamps to the south, a river and a state line to the north and east, the only way for the area to grow to any great extent is to the west, unfortunate but true.
here we go again. this thrills me (not) and convinces me: i'll be on my way outta CC in about 5 years. i don't hear anyone screaming for another shopping 'village'
I wonder if it will take them as long to build this PUD as it is taking to build Marshall Square?
The Winn Dixie on Columbia Road is not Empty.
What about south augusta? Can we get some new stores. Pretty soon we'll have to start farmimg and raising livestock to eat.
Please take our commissioners outside and shoot them...with frozen turkeys. "Turkeys beget turkeys" and these linear thinkers have hatched another one.
We had a chance to take Blanchard and Calhoun out of the County Commission when Ron Cross was up for re-election - But didn't do it... What ever Blanchard and Calhoun wants they get - Vic Mills runs Ron Cross!
We had a chance to take Blanchard and Calhoun out of the County Commission when Ron Cross was up for re-election - But didn't do it... What ever Blanchard and Calhoun wants they get - Vic Mills runs Ron Cross!
Just what the world and CC needs, another shopping center. Woo hoo! Up with progress and development! Down with nature!
Perhaps if everyone keeps moving to Columbia County and the stores follow the traffic will lighten and we won't have to wait for traffic in Richmond County.
Oh joy! Another strip mall in Evans!
Hey egan, what did they put into the old Winn Dixie? I know something went in as I watched all the gutting and rehabing that went on and now I see cars in the parking lot all the time. But I have not seen any sign that says what it is now.
Notice how everything being run past the Planning Commission is touted as "high end" but when it gets built, it is far from it. That must be one of the buzz words that means that someone is going to get a kick back.
Having people involved in real estate on a planning comm. or county comm. should be a conflict of interest....same with developers. Their Mantra is "Pave Paradise and put up a parking lot" (Why do they not see that leaving trees and grass and woodlands alone is.. OK). Because they are getting RICH by raping the land.
The winn dixie on columbia rd is empty last time i checked. Unless somebody opened it to something which i seriously doubt. But yeah columbia county doesn't need any more strip centers. Have you ever seen target, babies r us, or kohls in mullins crossing. On a normal day it may have 10 cars in all in the parking alot. Lazy boy moved to mullins crossing what a big mistake that was. North Augusta it looks like will pass evans in the future. Its closer to downtown augusta and will have less big box stores than evans. Thank you columbia county this will only help richmond get more upscale stores while you get big box stoes. And costco is coming to the riverwatch lifestyle center i seriosuly doubt augusta would get a costco, and whole foods back to back. We have a fresh market in west augusta, and a earthfare in martinez. If we can handle a whole foods also we should be able to get a saks fifth ave then.
Jake, wait till you visit Augusta again. Every single major road in West Augusta is in an incredible mess with construction. Why they had to tear the whole friggin' interstate up at one time is a mystery. Yep, "upscale" is the new buzzword and ya'll are right, it rarely is when it's built. Columbia County is almost getting worse than Richmond Co. with traffic!
Something definately went into the Winn Dixie but I do not know what. The gutted the entire place and remodled. Now I always see cars there.
I am glad for a new grocery store in the area. Have you been to the Food Lion in Grovetown? Its disgusting and I would not buy anything from there.
i live in Ivy Falls and we really need a grocery store out that way. Yeah for more tax dollars in our community!
Didn't we just hear that there will be a super WalMart at the Louisville Rd and I-20 intersection? Every free standing building and its inventory adds to the already escalating cost of doing business. A drug store and filling station on every corner. Now a grocery store on every corner. Soon there will be a "hospital clinic" on every corner. And people wonder where all of the high prices are coming from? It is no different that every individual having a home of convenience beside every stop light. We cannot aford this insanity.
We need something out here. I mean Bartram Trail Golf Course is a half mile down Columbia rd and all the little store are already across the street to the entrance and they are building another shopping complex beside it. So you might as well give up we have no say in it. Also I remember Evans residents submitted a petition to stop Walmart from being built did it work no. But look at the parking lot anytime you drive past it. It is always full and I am quite sure it's not Richmond county people driving all the way to Evans to shop?
If we are so "upscale" in CC, why didn't the P.F. Chang locate in in "Evanstowne". "Evanstowne" is an extension of Washington Rd. Belair Rd. is an extension of Gordon Hwy.
The space where the old Winn Dixie on Columbia road was is being occupied by one of the local bank's Human Resources/Administrative offices. I guess there's not a sign, because they don't want anyone to know they are there.
Thanks cheryl. I knew something was there. I am glad it is being used.
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