Proposed Columbia County development gets mixed reception

GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Developers in Columbia County are hoping to build a new neighborhood just outside Grovetown, complete with homes and businesses.

With so much traffic already in the area, not everyone is on board with more growth so close to the city.

We went out to where the community could be going up.

Shakinah Haley has been living in Columbia County for six years and is already moving to another county because she says the traffic is so bad. She says adding a new development would make matters even worse.

“I can’t even tell you how long it takes to get from my house just to the grocery store. So, you add 500 more homes to that? It will be impossible. People getting off work; they’ll be waiting in traffic 30, 45 minutes,” she said.

Branch Springs is the newest project from Southeastern Developments. The proposed area for the community is located just off Exit 190 near Grovetown, with more than 2,400 feet of space along Horizon South Parkway.

It’s a part of town already busy with construction, and some people who live in the area say the construction makes the traffic bad as it is.

“It definitely is counterproductive. What are the people that are living here really gonna do? They have no choice but to sell or rent out and move because the traffic is already ridiculous,” said Haley.

As the development is set to go before the planning commission on Dec 1, planning officials are actively reviewing the zoning application sent in by Southeastern Developments.

Developers are planning to add parks, walking trails, and a commercial retail district in addition to the single-family homes in the community. They also say the traffic in Branch Springs will be “slowed and calmed” with “traffic calming mechanisms” set in place.

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