Newspaper Page Text
The Braselton News
Page 3A
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
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Braselton
Braselton secures
$5.6 million
wastewater treatment
infrastructure loan
The Town of Braselton has
secured a $5.6 million wastewa
ter treatment infrastructure loan,
according to a press release from
the Georgia Environmental Fi
nance Authority (GEFA).
A Clean Water State Revolv
ing Fund (CWSRF) loan was
awarded to the town by the
Geoigia Environmental Finance
Authority (GEFA) board of di
rectors.
According to the agency, the
loan will finance expanding the
town’s current water reclama
tion facility, constructing treat
ment structures and importing
soil to areas that have poor soil
quality
A recent environmental as
sessment identified poor qual
ity soil conditions around the
facility. Importing new soil will
help the wastewater treatment
process and provide adequate
protection to the water quality in
surrounding areas. This project
will mitigate potential risk to the
soil and maximize the benefits
of water reuse and resource con
servation.
The town will pay 1.63% in
terest on the 20-year loan, which
is eligible for a reduced interest
rate because Braselton is a Wa-
terFirst Community.
The CWSRF provides
low-interest loans for wastewa
ter and water pollution control
infrastructure. These projects
conserve and improve water re
sources and facilitate economic
development. The program is
jointly funded by the U.S. En
vironmental Protection Agency
and the state of Georgia.
Healthcare
NGMC Braselton now
offering aquablation
therapy to treat
enlarged prostates
Patients experiencing lower
urinary track symptoms relat
ed to an enlarged prostate now
have access to a more precise,
minimally invasive treatment
option at Northeast Georgia
Medical Center (NGMC) Bra
selton.
Aquablation therapy to treat
an enlarged prostate, clinical
ly known as benign prostatic
hyperplasia (BPH), is per
formed by a surgeon using the
AquaBeam Robotic System. It
is the only procedure that uses a
heat-free wateijet controlled by
robotic technology to remove
any excess prostate tissue caus
ing symptoms. No incision is
made, as the prostate is reached
through the urethra. In addition,
it Is the only procedure that
combines a camera with ultra
sound imaging, giving the sur
geon the ability to see the entire
prostate in real time.
“Aquablation is an innova
tive addition to our surgical
services at NGMC Braselton,”
said David Stanley, MD, FACS,
urologist with Northeast Geor
gia Physicians Group. “We
have seen the positive benefits
of utilizing this type of therapy
- which results in less compli
cations, minimal to no sexual
side effects and more long-term
symptom relief for patients with
BPH.”
To learn more about surgical
options at NGMC, visit nghs.
com/surgery.
Hoschton
Arbitration panel mandates county
impact fees for proposed development
An arbitration panel ruled
Monday (Aug. 28) that a de
veloper must pay Jackson
County impact fees if it builds
a 1,000-plus home develop
ment on 287 acres along Hwy.
53 that it’s trying to annex into
the City of Hoschton.
The panel heard proceedings
for over five hours between
Rocklyn Homes, which is pro
posing the project and annex
ation, and the county, which
has objected to the annexation.
The arbitration panel con
cluded that Rocklyn will pay
county impact fees on each
building permit for the devel
opment — a stipulation that
would be attached as a con
dition of approval should the
Hoschton City Council OK the
project and annexation. Rock-
lyn’s plans call for 651 sin
gle-family lots and 404 town-
home units. Should Rocklyn
develop the project, it would
owe both county and city im
pact fees.
The developer’s plans
have been met with pushback
during public hearings from
citizens who have raised con
cerns about increased traffic
and strain on city infrastructure
and county schools.
Braselton
ZBA rejects most of variance requests for Davis St. project
A developer was denied
the majority of variances
sought for a revamped resi
dential development proposal
on Braselton’s Davis St.
Braselton Township De
velopment, LLC, went be
fore the Braselton Zoning
Board of Appeals on Aug.
22 requesting 15 variances
for a proposed 39-unit de
velopment of townhomes
and detached homes on 8.42
acres that would allow for
more greenspace than initial
ly planned. The development
was originally slated for 33
homes. But the ZBA granted
only three of the requested
variances, did not vote on
two others and rejected the
rest.
One of the major rejections
was a variance that would
have allowed for removing
an internal street in front of
the residences in favor of
community greenspace.
One resident, Jenny Pitt
man, opposed the variances,
saying the development plan
was “not suitable for the
neighborhood” and didn’t
comply with the current zon
ing.
Board member Mark Hu
ber said he appreciated the
concept but didn’t believe the
development code allowed
the ZBA to provide the flexi
bility the applicant requested.
“The code is very limit
ed to what we’re allowed to
do, and it’s very hard for me
when I look at 15 variances
for a project on basically va
cant ground where you can
start from scratch,” he said.
In other business, the ZBA
elected Dale Shapiro as its
chairperson and Huber as its
vice chair.
Hotel continued from lA
The hotel would be divided
into two segments and fea
ture two Hilton brands. One
side would consist of Hil
ton’s Home 2 Suites and on
the other side, Hilton’s TRU
units. Mitchem said Hilton
uses this model to allow two
of its products to share a cen
tral lobby and a staff.
The planning commis
sion’s recommendation of
approval included an added a
condition requiring building
permits to be pulled within
12 months of town council
approval and groundbreak
ing within 60 months of town
council approval. These stip
ulations would protect the
town against another appli
cant with a different project
utilizing the property’s con
ditional use should the devel
oper abandon the project.
The town council, which
has the final say over the pro
posal, is scheduled to hold
a public hearing on Sept. 7
(4:30 p.m.) over the request,
with a potential vote on Sept.
10 (7 p.m.).
Venue continued from lA
denied two variance requests
related to the project for sig
nificant setback adjustments.
According to application
documents, venue plans
called for a 50 x 100-foot bam
with an attached 70 x 100-
foot pavilion to be intended
primarily for weddings Fri
days through Sundays from
5 p.m. to 10 or 11 p.m. Com
munity organizations would
use the venue on weekdays
or weekends between 11 a.m.
and 6 p.m.
One of the biggest issues of
Moore’s proposal that arose
during the county planning
commission’s Aug. 7 meeting
involved his setback requests.
One request would reduce the
structure setback from 300
feet from the property line to
15 feet, while the other would
reduce the parking setback
from 200 feet from the prop
erty line to 15 feet.
Moore’s project drew a
mix of support and opposition
from his neighbors during the
planning commission’s pub
lic hearing, with six residents
speaking in favor of the venue
and three opposing it. Accord
ing to county planning direc
tor Randi Doveton. the Hall
County planning office had
since received multiple letters
objecting to the project.
Two residents opposed the
proposal Thursday during the
BOC’s public hearing, raising
concerns about a wedding
venue surrounded by residen
tial property, increased traf
fic and noise. They also said
mentions of other uses for the
venue in the application docu
ments are too vague.
Moore did not speak at the
hearing.
Prior to the BOC and plan
ning commission’s rejections,
the county’s planning staff
had recommended denying
Moore’s request and the vari
ances, citing inconsistencies
with the residential future
land use plan designation in
the comprehensive plan.
FARMERS
MARKET
VIinf
Weekly Markets
May-September
Fridays, 4-7 PM
Braselton Town Green
Dig in at ExploreBraselton.com/farmers-market
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