Projects Tabled, Withdrawn as County Board Mulls Development Rules

Two residential developments have been put on hold or stopped entirely after county commissioners signaled a possible shift regarding planned unit developments at their Aug. 18 meeting.

Paloma II would have brought 10,000 homes to the Pireway and Dothan areas. An unnamed proposal for Old Lake Road would have eventually seen 4,500 homes a short distance from East Columbus High School.

County Planning Director Kelsey Hammond said DRG, the developer for Paloma II, contacted the county Thursday to pull its application for a planned unit development. Andy Mills of Colliers Engineering and Design asked that the Old Lake Road application be tabled “for further review and more information.”

Both projects were set to be discussed at Tuesday’s public hearing and planning board meeting, which has been cancelled.

Hammond said there are no indications that any changes are planned for Paloma I, another massive PUD in the Dothan area.

County commissioners at their Aug. 18 meeting voted to send two PUDs – the Coleman and Sarvis tracts – back to the planning board for more review. Multiple residents and property owners spoke out against the projects, expressing concerns ranging from loss of quality of life to stormwater drainage and flooding.

The Sarvis project would have placed 1,000 to 1,100 homes off Peacock Road near Tabor City. Multiple speakers, including commissioners, questioned the wisdom of putting as many as four homes on a single acre of ground.

The Coleman proposal calls for significantly fewer homes – up to 190 –but neighboring property owners said the area is very prone to flooding, and is already dealing with major traffic congestion.

Immediately after sending the two PUDs back to the planning board, commissioners voted to instruct county staff to begin a rework of the subdivision and planned unit development ordinances. Several members of the board echoed concerns of residents regarding the effect of out of control growth on the area. Board chair Lavern Coleman said that the county must be careful not to follow the examples of Brunswick and Horry counties.

Commissioners have called a special meeting for Monday at 9 a.m. in chambers to discuss setting a public hearing on the edits.