Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

o O Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy Wednesday, September 13, 2023 Vol. 16 No. 40 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages 'ArtRageous'held Braseiton hosted its second-annual ArtRageous Festival on Saturday PAGE6A Panthers opening region play Jackson County will open Region 8-AAAAAA football play Friday at North Forsyth PAGE7A Braselton Decision on Braselton Hilton hotel on hold By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com The Braselton Town Council has delayed its vote on a pro posed Hilton hotel near 1-85 that includes extended-stay features. At the request of Councilp- erson Becky Richardson, the council voted unanimously on Monday (Sept. 11) to table its decision until its Oct. 9 voting meeting. “I still have some unan swered questions and just need additional time to kind of dig into some things before I can make a decision.” Richardson said. Applicant JVBraselton Hospitality, LLC, seeks a con ditional use for 4.24 acres on Hwy. 53 behind Cracker Barrel to allow for the hotel. The prop erty abuts 1-85. Plans call for a four-story, 147-room, dual-branded hotel that would house Hilton’s TRU and Home 2 Suites products in one structure. The TRU brand serves as a traditional hotel, while Home 2 Suites caters more toward longer stays with rooms that include dishwashers, micro- waves and refrigerators. The project requires council approval for conditional use because 54% of the hotel plan would consist of these extend ed-stay components. Proposed conditions of ap proval, however, would prohib it the hotel from advertising and offering weekly or monthly oc cupancy rates. The conditions See Hotel,page 3A Public safety Church approves sale of land to West Jackson Fire Department Hoschton Baptist Chmch vote from its members, has approved the sale of the church will sell up to land on Sam Freeman Rd. seven acres at $50,000 per to the West Jackson Fire acre to the department. Department for the site of According to the church, the agency’s third fire sta- the exact acreage sold will tion. Following a Sept. 10 Land, page 3A Never forget West Jackson Elementary School held a remem brance ceremony on Friday to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. See more Sept. 11 remem brance tributes on page 10A. Photos courtesy of Jackson County Schools/ West Jacskson Elementary School INSIDE The JCHS volleyball improved to 20-1 last week PAGE 7A INDEX News,,, 1A-3A Opinion ,„ 4A Public safety ,„ 5,4 Classifieds... 11,4 Ob Pianes,,, 9,4 Social/School 6,4 Sports,,, 7-8,4 MAILING LABEL Hoschton Braselton Hoschton DDA recommends Oak St. park project landscaper By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com Hoschton’s downtown leaders have recommended a landscaping company to convert a three-acre parcel on Oak St. into a small park. The Hoschton Down town Development Au thority (DDA) on Monday (Sept. 11) unanimously agreed to ask the city coun cil to consider Paramount Landscape Group for the project. The future park site is located on a block front ing Oak St., New St. East Broad St. and Hwy. 332. Paramount pitched its plans to the DDA at its June and August meetings alongside two other com panies at those meetings. Paramount’s design calls for a black ornamental fence around the property’s See Park, page 3A Photo by Ben Munro Hoschton downtown leaders have selected a landscaper to convert a three-acre tract fronting East Broad St., Oak St., New St. and Hwy. 332 into a park. Restaurant and retail space proposed on Hwy. 211 Over 17,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space has been proposed for a near-four-acre tract on Hwy. 211 in front of Ace Hardware. The Braselton Planning Commission will hear the developer’s plans dining a public hearing on Sept. 25 (6 p.m.). The applicant, Land Development and Engi neering, seeks a planned unit development (PUD) master plan amendment for the property, which has a Village Way address but has frontage on Hwy. 211 The development would comprise three buildings totaling 17,827 square feet. The Braselton Town See Hearing, page 10A South Hall Public hearing ahead for 185-unit multi-family development proposed for Friendship Rd. A developer is propos ing a 185-unit apartment development on Friend ship Rd., and the Hall County Planning Com mission will hear about those plans next week. A public hearing is set for the planning board’s Sept. 18 (6 p.m.) meet ing. Applicant Tim Wil banks seeks two rezoning requests for the proposed site at 1731 Friendship Rd., which totals just over 10 acres. One seeks to rezone 7.3 acres from agricultural to a planned commercial development (PCD) and the other 2.7 acres from See Development, page 10A ‘0 4 8 7 9 1 4 5 4 0