COLUMBIA: Columbia County Chamber of Commerce members got an earful Thursday night from residents of the Camelot subdivision who were upset over the organization’s plans to build a new headquarters at the neighborhood’s entrance on Washington Road.
Chamber President and CEO Tammy Shepherd arranged a “listening session” and cookout Thursday to present the plans and allow residents to ask questions and voice concerns.
The chamber bought a corner lot at the entrance of the Camelot neighborhood July 7 for $177,000. It hopes to rezone the property and tear down the existing home to allow for the construction of a 10,000-square-foot building for its future office space, Shepherd said. No rezoning application has been filed yet.
After a round of introductions, the chamber’s presentation quickly devolved into a platform for objections from the group of 10 residents unified in their opposition.
“One of the things that annoys everyone in this room is the fact that you are invading a neighborhood. Someone said that this would be a complement to this neighborhood; it is not a complement,” said Dennis Scheyer, who lives next door to the intended building site. “If you’ve ever been in that neighborhood, you will find older houses and mature shrubbery. You will not find a 1-acre paved parking lot with 56 parking places and a two-story office building.”
Scheyer said that since the plan was announced, several residents have talked about its implications and had decided to work against it.
