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Page 2A The Braselton News Wednesday, January 1, 2020 O O Lookback continued from 1A Don Panoz, is no longer be ing developed in Braselton, it was announced. The Braselton Town Council approved a re quest from Fountainhead De velopment on March 11 for the new planned unit development site plan. •Plans changed for the former Atlanta Riverwalk property near Braselton. Ro tunda Land Group, LLC, the new developer of the property, took its first steps toward a zon ing change for the 512-acre lot off SR 211 near Union Church Rd. The group filed a Devel opment of Regional Impact application. •Ron Johnson reportedly gave a letter to Jackson County officials, resigning as chair man of the Jackson County Board of Elections. But when asked for a copy of the resig nation letter, county attorney Chris Hamilton declined to release it. Johnson resigned ef fective March 31. •By a margin of 58-percent to 42-percent, Jackson Coun ty School System voters ap proved a $52 million bond referendum. The final vote was 632-457 in favor of the referendum. APRIL •A new chairman of the Jackson County Board of Elections was set to be nom inated by the grand jury, county attorney Chris Hamil ton said. •Hoschton leaders planned an upgrade for the city square sidewalks in down town. •Northeast Georgia Health System’s plan to develop a new surgery center in Braselton got one step closer to becoming reality. The Georgia Depart ment of Community Health approved NGHS’ Certificate of Need application for an ambulatory surgery center. Ambulatory surgery centers typically provide less complex procedures compared to hospi tals, which can result in lower costs and patients going home the same day as surgery, hospi tal leaders state. •A public hearing on a pro posal to allow townhomes and a handful of detached residences at Chateau Elan was again deferred. The Bra selton Town Council was set to hear the request at its April 4 meeting. •Braselton leaders approved a change to its alcohol ordi nance to allow frozen con sumables. •Hoschton leaders faced a backlash from some residents on social media after an appar ent mistake with the town’s garbage pickup contract •Chateau Elan Winery and Resort announced plans for a major upgrade. The $25 million project was slated to be complete by November. •Hall County leaders voted to table a hearing on zoning changes for a major pro posed development in the Braselton area. The Hall County Planning Commission tabled the request from Rev eille Development Partners, which wanted zoning changes for the former Atlanta River- walk property. •Hoschton announced the names of three finalists for city administrator, including Jason Streetman, Dale Hall and Justin Kilgore. •Work on the development of the massive Twin Lakes residential community was slated to begin soon after ac tion by the Hoschton Planning and Zoning Commission. The planning board approved two preliminary plats for the proj ect in April. •The Braselton Planning Commission voted to approve a proposed concrete recy cling facility. Shadbum Ferry Investments, LLC requested conditional use for a 7.33 acre recycling facility to be located along Highway 124. •A planned development of townhomes in Hoschton got the green light from the Hoschton Planning and Zon ing Commission to expand its number of units and re locate its entrance. The plan ning board approved rezoning nine additional acres for the development off of Hwy. 53 south in downtown. MAY •The Braselton Town Coun cil continued searching for ways to keep up with growth in the area. Their ideas were discussed and brainstormed in a lengthy planning session hosted in Athens by the North east Georgia Regional Com mission. •Hoschton named Dale Hall as its sole finalist for city ad ministrator. •An online petition garnered over 200 signatures against a proposal for townhomes and other residences near the Chateau Elan winery. •Developers renewed their push to bring a massive mixed- use development to the Cha teau Elan area. HECE, LLC, requested a change to the master plan for 230 acres around the Publix on Hwy. 211. •A story broke alleging that Hoschton mayor Theresa Ken- erly didn’t include the resume of a candidate for city admin istrator because he is black and she didn’t know if the city was “ready for that.” Mayor Pro Tern Jim Cleveland defended Kenerly in a news story and expressed his views against interracial marriage. Multi ple citizens began calling for Cleveland’s and Kenerly’s resignations. A candlelight vigil was held for the town lat er in May. •An 80-acre mixed use de velopment was proposed on Hwy. 53 in Braselton. Stolz Partners submitted a DRI study for the project named Braselton Circuit. A mix of industrial, multi-family units and commercial parcels were proposed. •A public hearing on a pro posal to allow townhomes and a handful of detached residences at Chateau Elan was deferred again. •Braselton leaders gave the go-ahead for a concrete recy cling facility off Hwy. 124. •The Hall County Planning Commission gave the initial nod to Reveille Development, for a large project on 508 acres near Road Atlanta. Developers proposed 482,400 sq. ft. of re tail; nearly 1,970 residences; 8.4 acres of outparcels; and 175 hotel units in one hotel. •A Nicholson man was killed in a Braselton ware house accident involving a forklift. •Developers deferred a public hearing for a massive mixed-used development on 230 acres around the Publix on Hwy. 211. HECE, LLC, deferred the request, which would allow developers to construct 460 single-family homes, 202,250 sq.ft, of retail/ commercial building and other commercial outparcels. •A group of citizens began pursuing ethics complaints against Hoschton mayor The resa Kenerly and mayor pro tem Jim Cleveland. Over 80 ethics complaints were filed. •A Colorado man who was critically injured by a Braselton woman died. Monique Lynette Pinckney, of Braselton, was initially charged with aggra vated assault after allegedly in juring James Patrick Pritchard Jr. Pritchard later died, and Jackson County Sheriff Ja ms Mangum said the charges would be upgraded to mur der. •Two large West Jackson residential projects got the nod from the Jackson County Planning Commission. Plan ners approved a map amend ment change for a 130-acre tract on Gum Springs Church Rd. and for a 43-acre tract on Hwy. 124 West. JUNE •Hearings on a request to allow townhomes and other residential units at Chateau Elan were again deferred. The Braselton Town Council deferred the hearing to July 3 (it was previously planned June 6). Chateau Elan Resorts, LLC, is requesting a change to its master plan that would allow 115 townhomes and 16 detached single-family resi dences. •Two Hoschton leaders faced continued calls for their resignation during the city council meeting. Citizens again packed the Hoschton Depot, calling for Mayor The resa Kenerly and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Cleveland to resign following alleged racial com ments made during the recent city administrator search. •A change to Hoschton’s ethics ordinance was pro posed amid continued contro versy and calls for the town’s mayor and mayor pro tem to resign. •Developers of a massive Braselton-area project have asked Hall County leaders to table action on the matter. The request for the former Atlanta Riverwalk development was ultimately tabled. •Hoschton leaders are put ting trash pickup services hack out to bid. •The Town of Braselton awarded a $2.09 million bid for improvements to the town’s northwest sewerage system. The bid was awarded to Griffin Brothers, Inc., of Maysville. •Hearings on a large devel opment off Hwy. 53 in Bra selton were deferred. The an nexation and rezoning request from Stolz Partners, LLC, for 77 acres off Hwy. 53 at Bra selton Pkwy. was deferred until August. •A physician with a clinic in Braselton was sentenced to nearly three years in fed eral prison for illegally pre scribing drugs to non-patients. Dr. Johnny Di Blasi, 46, of Braselton, was sentenced to 33 months in prison after plead ing guilty to conspiracy to un lawfully dispense controlled substances (Oxycodone), said Bobby L. Christine, United States Attorney for the South ern District of Georgia. •Hoschton planners gave the initial nod for a mixed- use project at the Creekside neighborhood. The Hoschton Planning and Zoning Com mission approved a request from UTR Hoschton, LLC. to rezone approximately seven acres at the comer of Hwy. 53 and Eagles Bluff Way. •A rowdy, but mostly good-natured crowd from West Jackson made it clear that they don’t want high-density housing in their community.The crowd of around 160 people wearing red shirts packed the meeting room of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners to oppose a proposed zoning map amend ment for 43 acres on Hwy. 124 near the intersection of Hwy. 60. •A man who dragged a Barrow County deputy a short distance down the road during a traffic checkpoint in late April was captured by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Samuel William Brock. 23. was arrested on several outstanding Barrow County warrants. •A proposed mixed-use development on Hwy. 211 cleared the first hurdle, but the results weren’t what de velopers were hoping for. The Braselton Planning Commis sion approved amending an existing planned unit develop ment master plan for HECE. LLC, for 229 acres to allow for a mix of commercial and residential development. But with its approval, the planning board increased the minimum residential lot size, lot width and home square footage sizes. JULY •Some reported misinforma tion spread on a social media site led a number of people to attend the Jackson County Planning Commission meet ing about a rezoning that had not been controversial in the past. Around 25 citizens, some wearing red shirts, attended the meeting where JCDB Proper ties had two rezoning and two special use actions on the agen da for two small tracts of land on Hwy. 124 across from the Traditions of Braselton sub division. The planning board unanimously voted to recom mend approval of the rezoning and special use permits. •A vote on a massive Bra selton area project was again delayed. Developers of the Reveille project, a proposed master planned development on 508-acres in South Hall, again requested the item be tabled. •Lxical citizens again packed the Hoschton City Council meeting following alleged ra cial comments by the town’s mayor and mayor pro tem. Many of those citizens contin ued to press the two leaders to resign, while others were critical of the citizens’ attacks. •Hearings on a request to allow townhomes and other residential units at Chateau Elan were again deferred. The Braselton Town Council deferred the hearing to Aug. 8. •Hoschton leaders voted to table a change to the city’s ethics ordinance. •Braselton has joined civil action that will allow cities in Barrow County to pursue state permits and funding while negotiations continue on the county’s service delivery agreement. •After months of low-key discussions and debates, a name was selected for the new high school facility in West Jackson. And it’s not much of a change. The school, which is a relocation of the existing Jack- son County Comprehensive High School, will be named “Jackson County High School” following action on July 11 by the board of educa tion. •The City of Hoschton end ed 2018 in the black and con tinued to build its unrestricted reserve funds to over 165 per cent of a year’s expenses, it was announced. •Jason Wester was named interim principal at Jack- son County Comprehensive High School beginning in July of the 2019-20 school year. •The Jackson County Board of Elections and Registration voted July 10 to move the voting site from Northeast Church to the Historic Bra selton Gym. •Developers cleared the first hurdle July 15 toward bringing a new subdivision to Gum Springs Church Rd. in the West Jackson area. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved two map amend ments for a 130-acre tract on the road. Property owners will now have to pursue a re-zoning of the property if they want to develop it as a subdivision.The project has drawn some push- back by area residents who have reportedly been active on social media in opposing the proposal. •In a move that had the po tential to delay construction of its new high school facility in West Jackson, the Jackson County Board of Education tabled a recommendation July 22 on hiring a construction manager (CM) for the project. The move came as the board split 2-2 over whether or not to proceed with a staff rec ommendation to hire Carroll Daniel Construction to oversee the project as CM. In a later meeting, the BOE approved Carroll Daniel as CM in a 4-1 vote with Don Clerici opposed. •A massive $600 million development on Hwy. 211 next to Road Atlanta near Braselton could begin work following action July 25 by the Hall County Board of Commissioners. The Hall BOC approved adding 21 conditions to the controversial Reveille development. Many of the changes were added by the developers, Rotunda Land Group.The 508-acre develop ment is a revival of the failed Atlanta Riverwalk project, which didn’t attract enough in vestment to get off the ground. •A Braselton man was killed in a shooting during an argument on Friday, July 26. William Halbman died following the incident which occurred around 4:50 p.m. at 8865 Hwy. 53, Braselton. The alleged shooter, Allen Bredig, was charged with murder and aggravated assault. •Developers of a proposed subdivision in Braselton cleared the first of several hurdles. The Jackson County Planning Commission voted July 25 to recommend approv al of a map amendment for 73.76 acres at 8308 Hwy. 53, Braselton. McKinley Homes US, LLC. requested a map amendment for a suburban character area and residential land use. The group planned to construct an open space residential subdivision on the 73.76 acres and an adjoining property. AUGUST •Braselton police were in volved in an officer-involved shooting during a search for a kidnapping suspect who allegedly pulled a knife on a woman in a previous incident. The suspect, Aigon Andrew Wallace, 25, was killed after he attempted to flee and re sisted arrest. He reportedly tried to draw two knives from his pockets and was shot, later dying from the wound. No of ficers were injured. •Hoschton again tabled changes to its ethics commit tee ordinance, raising criti cism from some residents who said the city is stalling. •Two major Chateau Elan-area projects failed to get approval by town lead ers. The first request — which would have allowed townho mes and single-family units at Chateau Elan — was sent back to the Braselton Planning Commission after changes were made to the project. The second request - for a mix of residential units and commer cial space near the Publix on Hwy. 211 — was denied. •Braselton leaders took ini tial steps that would allow a senior living, assisted living and memory care develop- from ourfamiCy to yours... 3~[apj)\j New year Dr. Courtney Glenn OKofeou Foot and Ankle Center A Dr. Gemma English Chateau foot and JCnkCe MecCicaCTCaza 1, Ste 370 1515 Biver TCace, 'BraseCton, CjJA 30517 770-648-5040