Newspaper Page Text
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson 500 copy
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Vol. 10 No. 51 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 16 pages
Arby’s request pulled from planners’ agenda
By Ron Bridgeman
A request for an Arby’s restaurant near
the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in
Braselton was withdrawn late Monday
afternoon, and Braselton planners, in a
short meeting, approved a series of zoning
amendments that would restrict different
kinds of development.
The Braselton Planning Commission met
for about 25 minutes, and held an impromp
tu session after that to discuss the Arby’s
request.
The Arby’s application is expected to
come back to the planning commission at
its January meeting, Kevin Keller, planning
and development director for the town, said.
The planning commission is not expected
to meet in December.
Zoning amendments sent to the Bra
selton City Council with recommendations
to adopt them deal with “extended stay”
hotels, 24-hour restaurants, electronic signs
and height of buildings.
The question of a 24-hour restaurant drew
the most comment.
It was amended to reflect “retail estab
lishments” instead of just restaurants at the
suggestion of chair Allen Slovin.
Slovin “is casting a little broader net,”
planning commission member Billy
Edwards said, and agreed with him.
Keller proposed an amendment that would
allow 24-hour business within 750 feet of
an interstate right-of-way and a conditional
use wherever a restaurant is allowed. He
defined “24-hour” as a business open after
1 a.m. or before 5:30 a.m. and sells food.
Slovin and Stephanie Braselton Williams
said medical businesses are becoming
24-hour operations. Williams emphasized
the growth of medical business near the
hospital.
Williams pronounced the area in which
Arby’s proposes to build “a mess” because
of the construction and increasing traffic.
Most of the comments from the commis
sion members were about the traffic in the
area.
It also was noted the restaurant request is
in an area that is nearly all medical offices
and practices.
The application from GLM Braselton
requests a conditional use for the restau
rant. It would be about 2,400 square feet
and would be on Friendship Road near the
intersection of Highway 211. It is proposed
to have 30 parking spaces.
The other amendments:
•would prohibit electronic signs, “com
monly known as” LED or LCD lights and
can be programmed or modified. Keller
said the amendment would prohibit new
signs. He also said signs for official gov
ernment use are exempted, such as blinking
speed signs.
•define “extended stay” as businesses that
have rooms “routinely utilized” for weekly
or monthly occupancy or in which at least
30 percent of the rooms have facilities for
the preparation of food by guests and a
self-serve laundry. Extended stay facilities
would be a conditional use in areas where
hotels are permitted.
•would make buildings that exceed the
40-foot height, that are within 250 feet of
a single-family dwelling a conditional use
and are in seven designated zoning areas in
the town.
The amendments are expected to be on
the Town Council’s agenda Dec. 11.
Santa
coming
to depot
The Hoschton Women’s
Civic Club will host its
annual “Santa at the Depot”
on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10
a.m.-12 p.m.
Each child will have their
picture made with Santa and
receive a gift bag.
The event is free.
Library
plans porch
sale Dec. 2
The Friends of the Bra
selton-West Jackson Library
is sponsoring a Porch
Sale on Saturday, Dec. 2,
from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
All proceeds will be donat
ed by the Friends organiza
tion to the Braselton Library.
Items for sale include
everything from kitchen
wares to one of a kind items
including: Longaberger bas
ket, vintage items (such as
grandmother’s woven laun
dry basket, picnic baskets
and pie carriers), Seasons
Bay Village pieces, hum-
mels, crystal, cow bells,
hand painted porcelain items
from many foreign coun
tries, antiques, party decor,
table top books, home decor,
Christmas items and more.
The Porch Sale will be
held rain or shine. Many
items will also be in the
library’s conference room.
Attendees should bring their
own bubble wrap and bags
(some will be provided).
The sale is cash only.
No checks, credit or debit
cards will be accepted.
Friends of the Bra
selton-West Jackson Library
members may sign up in the
Afterwords Store to help set
up, be cashiers and clean-up.
Parking deck work picks up
Parking deck construction
Activity is ramping up in downtown Braselton as crews work on the first steps in the town’s parking deck project.
Photo by Mike Buffington
Jackson County has high
number of opioid scrips
By Kyle Funderburk
Jackson County has an above average
number of opioid prescriptions per 100
people. The Jackson County Board of
Health recently reviewed the data at its
quarterly meeting
Jackson County ranks above the state
average with 117 opioid prescriptions per
100 people compared to the state average
of 78 per 100. The national average is 67
per 100.
By comparison, Barrow County has 85
prescriptions per 100; Hall County has 95
per 100: Clarke County has 97 per 100:
Madison County has 104 per 100; Banks
County 42 per 100: Gwinnett County 47
per 100; and Oconee County 63 per 100.
Alabama has the highest rate nationally
with 121 per 100 while Wyoming is the
lowest with a mere seven opioid prescrip
tions per 100.
HIGH DEATH RATE
Deaths related to drug overdoses have
almost surpassed vehicle related deaths in
Georgia.
In 1999. 1,265 Georgians died in vehicle
accidents while only 325 Georgians died
from an overdose. Of that 325, 114 were
attributed to opioids with only two of those
opioid-related deaths heroin overdoses.
In 2016, the number of deaths from drug
overdoses was 1,426 in the state with 1,140
coming from opioids, and 158 from hero
in. Vehicle accidents in the state in 2016
accounted for 1,614 deaths.
The data indicates that the biggest prob
lem in the opioid epidemic isn’t the recre
ational use of heroin, but from dependence
on prescribed opioid-based medicines, such
as morphine, methadone, Buprenorphine,
hydrocodone and oxycodone.
Braselton hosts
annual tree
decorating contest
Voting opens this week for the Town of
Braselton’s annual tree decorating compe
tition.
Businesses can still enter the competition
through Thursday, Nov. 30, at 4 p.m. To
enter, submit a photo of your decorated
tree to apinnell@braselton.net or contact a
Buy Local Braselton team member to take
a photo.
Entries will be posted to an album on the
Buy Local Braselton Facebook page on Fri
day, Dec. 1, and voting will continue through
Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. The photo with the most
“likes” in the album wins.
The winning business receives a traveling
trophy and “one year of bragging rights.”
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Man pleads guilty on charges
from fatal wreck in Hoschton
Online
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www.Braselton
NewsTODAY.com
A Lula man pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle
and no insurance recently in the State Court of Jack-
son County.
Kyle Ali Mata. 20, was sentenced by the court to
60 days in jail on work release; 1,000 hours of com
munity service with the victim’s husband to choose
where that is completed; 24 months probation; and
$2,000 fine.
Another charge of failure to maintain lane
was dismissed.
The death occurred Sept. 22, 2015, in a two-car
wreck on Highway 53 near Bill Watkins Road in
Hoschton.
Mata was driving the vehicle that was determined
to be at fault, according to the Georgia State Patrol
investigation.
The woman was trapped in the other vehicle and
died at a hospital.
