Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The Braselton News
Page 3A
Braselton
More retail developments slated for Hwy. 53
The Braselton Planning Commission will hear
several requests for annexation and rezoning when it
meets on Monday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m.
The requests are as follows:
•Harold Fletcher is seeking annexation and rezon
ing of 22.56 acres on Ga. Hwy. 53 in Jackson County
from A-2 to General-Commercial (G-C). Fletcher
is proposing to build a development with 133,875
square feet of building space for commercial uses.
Fletcher is also the property owner.
•Dunhill Developers, LLC. is seeking annexation
and rezoning of 3.653 acres on Hwy. 53 in Jackson
County from A-2 to G-C in Braselton. The applicant
is proposing a development with 17,000 square feet
of commercial building space. The property owner is
Dunhill Developers, LLC.
•Greg Hill is seeking an amendment to the town’s
future land use plan for 61.76 acres in Barrow
County. The current future land use classification is
light industrial/warehouse and the proposed future
land use classification is general commercial/busi
ness and high density, single-family residential. The
property owner is Anna Properties, Inc.
•Lensned, LLC is seeking a change in zoning con
ditions for 15.20 acres at the corner of Liberty Church
Road and Hwy. 211 in Barrow County. The zoning
classification is Planned Unit Development (PUD).
The applicant requests to change the zoning condi
tion requiring a 50 foot buffer adjacent to residential
to a 25 foot buffer and the condition requiring a 40
foot buffer along S.R. 211 to a 5-foot landscaped
strip.
The applicant also requests to remove the zoning
condition restricting drive-in windows to banks and
dry cleaning establishments and the prohibition of
fast food establishments. Lensned, LLC is the prop
erty owner.
•Lensned, LLC is seeking a conditional use permit
for 15.20 acres at the corner of Liberty Church Road
and Hwy. 211 in Barrow County. The zoning clas
sification is PUD.
The applicant requests a conditional use approval
to allow a drive-in restaurant. Lensned, LLC is the
property owner.
The Braselton Town Council will hold a public
hearing on the planning commission’s recommenda
tions on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 4 p.m.
The Braselton Town Council and the Braselton
Planning Commission meet at the Braselton Police
and Municipal Court Building.
Braselton approves 16 residential permits
The Braselton Planning and
Development Department issued
16 residential building permits
in September, according to a city
report.
Six residential permits were
issued in Jackson County, four
in Barrow County, three in Hall
County and two in Gwinnett
County.
A pool house totaling 1,007
square feet at the Sienna subdi
vision in Jackson County also
received a building permit in
September.
The structures that received
building permits in September
have an estimated value of $3.6
million, according to town offi
cials.
In September, sign permits
were issued to the following:
Sonic, Clothing Care Cleaners,
Jacks Restaurant, PAC Stainless,
Sienna subdivision, Pawsatively
Purrfect, Goochie Goo’s, Ninja
Restaurant, Golden Hair Salon
and Tea Garden.
The following items are list
ed by town officials as pending
development permit applications,
preliminary plats or site develop
ment plans: Braselton Village,
located on Ga. Hwy. 211 and
Beaver Dam Road; Reserve at
Liberty Park, phase 2; Liberty
Crossing, phase 2; Discovery
Point; Braselton Distribution
Center, building 12; Braselton
Crossing; Wachovia Bank, locat
ed in front of Publix; Park 85
at Braselton, speculative build
ing J; Braselton Academy; CGJ
Enterprises, office warehouse at
Bordeaux Business Park.
Hoschton
Business licenses approved by Hoschton officials
Hoschton officials recently approved several busi
ness permits.
Business licenses were issued to: Gerald Gooch,
produce, Hwy. 53; RGP Enterprises, freight broker,
Bell Avenue; and Nem Builder, general contractor,
Jefferson Street. A home occupation permit was
issued for Trincey’s Home Repair, a general contrac
tor, in the Deer Creek subdivision.
No building permits were issued by Hoschton offi
cials in September.
Also, the city paid $74,235 in the general fund
account; $50,552 in bills from the SPLOST account;
and $54,428 in bills from the water/sewer fund,
according to a city administrative report.
DEPOT — continued from page 1A
Council member Jester said
that provision wasn’t clear and
didn’t define what the “partner
ship” would mean for the city’s
responsibilities of the depot, such
as funding major repairs.
Realtor Cindy George, who
wrote the foundation’s bid, said
the non-profit group would be
responsible for daily maintenance
of the depot.
“The city owns the depot, so
the city will have some (financial)
responsibility,” George said.
She added that comparing
the two bids is like comparing
apples and oranges, as Yesway
Enterprises is a profit-making
business and the foundation is a
non-profit group.
Another issue during the com
mittee’s review of the depot pro
posals was the matter of rent.
Yesway Enterprises proposed
that it pay a base rent to the
city of $600 for the first year of
managing the depot, followed by
$1,200 each following year. The
company will also give the city 10
percent of its profits.
The Hoschton Historic Depot
Preservation Foundation is pro
posing that it pay the city $1 a
year to lease the depot. Jester said
the foundation is not proposing
to pay the city a portion of rental
fees.
Keinard said he wasn’t satis
fied with either proposal when it
comes to marketing the facility.
He recommended that the city
consider a proposal by mayor
Bill Copenhaver and city plan
ner Wistar Harmon for the city to
continue marketing the depot.
Long-time Hoschton resident
Bill Sell asked the committee to
consider community pride when
deciding who should manage the
depot. He questioned if the com
munity should be split over a
lease of $600 or $1,200 a year.
Mary Ann Kenerly urged the
council to work with civic groups
for managing the depot.
“There’s no need for us fussing
or fighting,” she said.
The public works committee
agreed to recommended that the
city reject both bids and refer to
the marketing plan suggested by
the mayor and city planner.
Keinard and Donaldson said if
the city-based marketing doesn’t
work, the council could recon
sider its options next year.
Mayfield to celebrate 10 years in Braselton
ENJOYING ICE CREAM
Mayfield Dairy Farms president Scottie Mayfield is shown with
Abigail Bernath during a 2004 visit to the Braselton facility. The
company will celebrate its 10th anniversary of the Braselton plant
next week.
Mayfield Dairy Farms will cel
ebrate the 10th anniversary of its
Braselton plant with several spe
cial activities, daily prize drawings
and other events Oct. 24-26, from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“This past 10 years in Braselton
have been tremendously suc
cessful, and we look forward to
many more years of being part
of this community,” said Scottie
Mayfield, president of Mayfield
Dairy Farms.
“We planted our roots in
Braselton because it’s located an
hour from Atlanta and has easy
access to the 1-85 Corridor. What
has touched us the most during
the last decade is the sincerity
and support from Braselton and
the surrounding communities,”
Mayfield said.
The 70,000 square-foot facil
ity is situated on 20 acres, and
produces approximately 150,000
gallons of milk daily, including
Nurture by Mayfield, whole, 2
percent, skim, chocolate and other
Mayfield favorites. The milk is
manufactured and distributed to
Atlanta, Marietta, and northern
Georgia, as well as Greenville,
S.C.
On any given day, hundreds of
visitors stop by the Mayfield’s
Visitor Center in Braselton. Since
opening, almost 500,000 people
have toured the facility and stopped
by the ice cream parlor to sample
one of 35 ice cream sensations.
Tours are available Monday
through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m., and on Saturdays, from 9
a.m. to 2 p.m. The Visitor Center
is closed on Sunday.
Tours begin every 30 minutes on
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and
Friday (with exception of no tour
at 12 p.m.). Tours on Saturdays are
every hour on the hour. No tours
on Wednesdays. Last tour begins
one hour before closing.
Mayfield’s Braselton Visitor
Center is located at 1160 Broadway
Ave.
For more information, visit
http://mayfielddairy.com/visitors
or call 1-800-MAYFIELD.
1-85 construction
DOT to open new lane on 1-85 north on Saturday
Construction of a new, northbound lane on 1-85
between 1-985 and Ga. Hwy. 20 in Gwinnett County
is expected to be complete on Saturday, according to
the Georgia Department of Transportation.
DOT contractors will continue overnight work
on the interstate this week through the morning of
Saturday, Oct. 20.
Overnight lane closures will begin at 9 p.m. and
crews will work until 5 a.m. the next morning.
“There will be lane closures for some punch list
work later, after the New Year,” said DOT spokesper
son Teri Pope. “Delays are expected in the area each
night this week but know that we will soon be out of
your way.”
The new lane was added to the outside of 1-85
northbound and will be an exit only lane to Hwy. 20,
at the Mall of Georgia exit.
The project is on 1-85 north only and no work will
occur on 1-85 southbound, according to the DOT.
The 2.23-mile project completion date is April 30,
2008, with an estimated construction cost of more
than $10.4 million.
BUDGET — continued from page 1A
“That’s not an option,” Walden
said. “I’d rather take them away or
have the sheriff do it.”
Keinard said the need for law
enforcement services would not be
reduced in the future, but will con
tinue to be increased as Hoschton
grows.
“We’re in between a rock and a
hard place,” Keinard said.
Council member Jim Jester sug
gested offering the Jackson County
Sheriff’s Office the former police
department next to city hall as a
precinct.
There was also a suggestion that
the police department could con
duct criminal background searches
for employers. That service could
bring an additional $30,000 a year
to the city, according to the pro
posal.
“If we lose three or four officers,
I don’t see us doing background
checks,” council member Deborah
Donaldson said.
Keinard said if the police depart
ment’s staff is cut, its officers
would focus patrol efforts in the
needed areas, especially along Ga.
Hwy. 53.
“If we cut it back, you lose
that neighborhood connection,” he
said.
In addition to the police depart
ment staff cuts, Hoschton officials
are also considering eliminating
one of two public works employ
ees in the “low-revenue” budget.
CITY TAX?
The fiscal resources commit
tee also briefly discussed imple
menting a city property tax. Ralph
Freeman Jr., a long-time resident
of the city, said a former Hoschton
mayor suspended property taxes
more than 20 years ago.
But officials questioned if pass
ing property taxes could be done in
time for the 2008 budget. The city
would have to hold three public
hearings to set the proposed mill-
age rate.
DEFENDS 2007 BUDGET
On a related note, council member
Donaldson said that the current 2007
budget, which had to be amended by
the council to reflect lower income pro
jections, had not been overly optimistic.
Instead, Donaldson said it was just a
“series of bad events” which led to the
drastic budget cuts in the 2007 budget.
Those events included litigation
involving several potential develop
ments and the slow down in the real
estate market.
But Walden pointed out that other
areas — including Jackson, Gwinnett
and Hall counties—also experienced a
slow down in the real estate market.
“It wasn’t just us, it was everyone
else,” he said.
Donaldson also said the city had
been having tight budgets for several
years.
“There hasn’t been fluff in the
budget for the past four years,”
she said.
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