Columbia County officials hear from neighbors fighting rezoning

GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Neighbors in Grimaud Place looked to stop a rezoning request for a radio station along with six other family businesses to grow and add employees.

Neighbors did not like the idea of more traffic and are afraid of what the applicant could do with his property.

He negotiated with the county, and they limited what he could build there. But neighbors still felt like they weren’t heard.

This isn’t the first time a request from this company has tried to change, and not the first time neighbors aren’t happy with this request.

“I thought everything was going good, but up until now, and then I see that sign popped up,” said Tony Hogan.

Hogan was among the first to live in Grimaud Place. Clarence Baronski was the owner in 2005 when they requested to rezone for the radio station, offices and allow for the temporary storage of tower equipment.

Daryl Stewart said: “My plea is to show to other committee on that zoning committee that the whole thing from the get-go was shady.”

Stewart and Hogan say they were approached by Al Dempsey, chairman of the planning commission. According to county documents from 2018, he lives near the neighborhood on Louisville Road.

“Solicit two on behalf of Barinowski ... that just don’t sound right. You know, I just don’t think that’s the way a committee should work. I don’t think they’re supposed to be lobbyists,” said Stewart.

The rezoning document also says the radio station isn’t operating in compliance.

“They county refused to put them up in the front of the entrance and that don’t make some sense to me,” he said.

Before the meeting, the applicant, Mark Barinowski, said he was not interested in commenting. The Columbia County Planning Commission also said they would not comment.

The rezoning request will move to full commission on May 2.

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