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BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021
Planning commission backs large warehouse development off Kilcrease Road
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com
Barrow County's planning com
mission last week backed plans
for 1.1 million square feet of
warehouse space to be built along
Kilcrease Road near its intersec
tion with State Route 316.
The panel recommended ap
proval of a request by Euphoric
Development of Atlanta to rezone
just under 96 entirely wooded
acres for a “light industrial” park
on the eastern side of Kilcrease
Road, where the developer plans
to build four warehouse buildings
to be marketed to companies look
ing to expand their space. No suit
ors for the space have been public
ly announced yet.
In addition to the buildings, the
site would include 176 truck park
ing spaces. 481 car parking spaces
and three detention ponds, accord
ing to a state Developments of Re
gional Impact (DRI) report, which
concluded that the development
would be suitable for thee area.
The request now heads to the
county board of commissioners
for a public hearing and final vote
at its meeting scheduled for Sept.
14.
If the request is approved, the
project would be built in one
phase with an estimated comple
tion by the end of 2022. The proj
ect has an estimated $70 million
value at buildout.
The planning commission’s rec
ommended approval comes with
several conditions, including reg
ulations on the exterior building
materials and a mandatory proper
ty owners' association to maintain
all common areas, interior streets
and stormwater detention ponds.
PANEL AGAINST REQUESTS
TO ALLOW LARGE
SUBDIVISION IN STATHAM
Also at last week's meeting,
the planning commission recom
mended rezoning three parcels
totaling 117.5 acres on Glenn
Jackson Road near its intersection
with Luke Circle for development
of a subdivision, but at a far lesser
density than the applicants have
requested.
The panel voted 3-2 to deny a
request by LGI Homes Georgia
and the land owners to change the
future land-use map designation
for the land, which would allow
the applicants to get an R-2 zon
ing and build a planned subdivi
sion of 310 single-family homes
with a proposed minimum of
2,000 square feet and a density of
well over two units per acre.
The panel did vote 4-1 in fa
vor of a rezoning to R-l, but
that zoning would require 1-acre
minimum lot sizes and further re
strictions on the density because
the character area for the parcels
is under Rural Reserve and Rural
Neighborhood.
Two neighboring residents
spoke against the requests during
the public hearing due to concerns
over traffic and stormwater man
agement and potential impact on
nearby school capacity.
Joshua Scoggins, the attorney
representing the applicants, said
the project wouldn’t be able to be
developed under R-l zoning be
cause they wouldn’t be able to tie
sewer to the 1-acre minimum lots,
which the updated county code re
quires. The letter of intent for the
project also contended that a less-
dense subdivision with far fewer
homes would not be economically
feasible for the applicants.
Because the proposed subdi
vision would in part border R-l
developments within the City of
Statham, Scoggins said the ap
plicants had explored possibly
annexing into the city, but they
wouldn’t legally be able to be
cause it would not contiguously
join the city limits.
If the BOC were to go against
the county planning staff's rec
ommendation for denial of the re
quests and the planning commis
sion's recommendation for an R-l
rezoning and grant the requests.
Scoggins said construction could
start on the subdivision after 12-
18 months of development work
and that homes would be phased
in over the next 4-6 years.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at its Aug. 19
meeting, the planning commis
sion:
•recommended approval of a
request by David Dillard and the
Jack and Janet Dillard Family
Partnership to change the charac
ter area for and rezone 5.63 acres
on Carl-Bethlehem Road near
its intersection with Loganville
Highway for commercial and re
tail uses, with 3-5 outparcels. At
the applicants’ request, the com
mission tabled until next month
a separate request to change the
character area of and rezone an
other 31.76 acres of the Dillard
Farm property in order for a
multi-family housing develop
ment with 275 units to be built.
That request is now scheduled to
come before the panel at its Sep
tember meeting.
•recommended approval of a
request to change the character
area of and rezone 0.835 acres at
241 Hwy. 211 NW, Winder, for a
new convenience store to take the
place of the former “Real Deal,”
which closed as a result of the
coronavirus pandemic. Though a
convenience store has been oper
ating there, the property has been
under R-l zoning, which Stanton
Porter, the attorney representing
the applicants, characterized as
likely an oversight.
•recommended approval of a
special-use request for a conve
nience store in an Agricultural
Commercial zoning district at
856 Atlanta Hwy.. Auburn.
•recommended approval of a
special-use request for a wedding
venue at 288 He Gardens Dr.,
Winder.
Auburn council heads toward another annexation, rezoning vote
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barro wne wsj ournal. com
The Auburn City Council is set to vote
on another major annexation and rezoning
request that would allow for another large
residential subdivision to be built — this
time on the eastern end of the city — after
the request was backed by the city’s plan
ning commission.
During its Thursday, Aug. 19 work ses
sion, the council was presented with the
request to annex and rezone two parcels
totaling 98.2 acres at the intersection of
Carl-Cedar Hill and Bill Robinson roads
in order for a subdivision with 315 sin
gle-family homes to be built. Clayton
Properties and Chafin Land Development
— which won approval from the council
earlier this month to annex and rezone the
Fowler Farms property on the western end
of Auburn for a large residential and com
mercial development — are the applicants
along with property owners Frank Whiddon
and Alex Dobbs.
After delaying the case for two months
following an initial public hearing in June,
the planning commission on Wednesday,
Aug. 18, recommended approval of the
requests with more than a dozen attached
conditions.
The council will now hold its own pub
lic hearing and presumably a final vote at
its Sept. 2 meeting, and council members
appeared to be in favor of the project Thurs
day.
“We think the property is a great location
for the project,” said Shane Lanham. the at
torney representing the applicants.
The staff- and planning commission-rec
ommended approval comes with conditions
that the recommendations of a preliminary
traffic analysis for the planned development
be implemented, including the installation
of deceleration and left-turn lanes into the
development.
While the council’s decision on annex
ation and rezoning revolves around land
use, “we just understand the reality (that)
any development is going to bring more
traffic,” Lanham said, “(and) we can do
things to mitigate those impacts.”
Lanham added that the developer will
submit a full, comprehensive traffic analy
sis to be reviewed prior to the issuance of
any development and building permits.
The recommended conditions for approv
al also stipulate that single-story homes be
a minimum of 1,800 heated square feet and
two-story homes be a minimum of 2,200
heated square feet; that no vinyl siding be
allowed; that there be at least a double-car
garage with each house; and that there be
a mandatory homeowners’ association with
privately-owned and maintained streets.
Jason Hutchins, a neighboring property
owner to the proposed development, asked
for the council to include an additional
condition that a fence be installed along
the property line to keep his cows from po
tentially getting into the development. Jay
Miller, the city’s director of planning and
community development, said that condi
tion could be included in advance of the
Sept. 2 public hearing. Lanham said in
stalling a fence may be a challenge due to
streams and buffers but that the developer
was committed to working with the neigh
boring property owners.
One of the recommended conditions,
agreed to by the applicants, would require
that a disclosure about neighboring agricul
tural uses — including associated sounds
and smells — be included on the final plat
for all properties within the subdivision.
“I do want to see (the city and developer
have measures in place) to protect farmers,”
councilwoman Peggy Langley said. “We
are in unchartered territory here (with more
planned residential developments border
ing agricultural uses). Everybody’s going
to have to learn to co-exist.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business Thursday, the council:
•heard from city administrator Alex
Mitchem that property owners in the 10-
home subdivision The Cleft on Hayes Road
are interested in annexing into the city from
Gwinnett County and have reached out to
the city about having meetings to discuss
the possibility.
•heard a recommendation to keep the
Gwinnett County portion of the city's mill-
age rate at 4.951 mills, where it has been
since 2013. A public hearing and vote is
scheduled to be held at the council's Sept.
2 meeting.
•heard a recommendation to create a new
full-time position in the parks and leisure
services department that will be in charge
of coordinating activities at all of the city's
recreational facilities as well as landscape
and park planning work and other respon
sibilities. The position, which is part of the
city’s proposed fiscal year 2022 budget,
will report to the leisure services director.
Mitchem said the additional position is
needed as the city’s population and recre
ational programming outreach continues to
grow.
Winder council approves purchase of street sweeper to help with new services
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjoumal.com
The City of Winder will be
purchasing a brand-new street
sweeper as part of a new full
time street-sweeping program
included in the fiscal year
2022 budget.
During a called meeting
Thursday, Aug. 19, the city
council approved the purchase
of the sweeper at a state con
tract price of $239,168. The
purchase will be financed
through a seven-year agree
ment with the Georgia Munic
ipal Association at $3,174 per
month with a 2.25% interest
rate.
The council also approved
the option of a four-year main
tenance agreement at $13,800
annually, which will cover
all preventive maintenance,
transport for maintenance, re
pairs and other services.
The vehicle, which city
administrator Mandi Cody
said would be available for
delivery right away, will help
the city implement its week
ly street sweeping services
on a dedicated route system.
Its purchase was included in
the FY22 budget with the as
sumption that the purchase
would be financed, Cody said.
The city began the route
system several months ago
with leased equipment as part
of a pilot program aimed at
“aesthetic improvements: and
stormwater issue mitigation
around the city and has seen
positive results from the pro
gram, Cody said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business Thursday,
the council:
•approved the acceptance
of and establishing an inde
pendent bank account for the
August 18, 2021
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money the city is receiving
through the federal American
Rescue Plan Act. The city has
been awarded $5.6 million
through the program and has
already received a little more
than $3 million of that amount,
Cody said. The city anticipates
spending all of the money on
a long-planned stormwater
infrastructure project aimed
at addressing flooding issues
from heavy rains at the Center
Street underpass.
•heard a presentation on
the new laser-point technol
ogy speed enforcement cam
eras that have been installed
near several Barrow County
School System campuses.
The council has the authority
to approve the installation of
the cameras and related sig
nage in the school zones with
in the city limits at no cost to
the city and could vote to do
so soon. The Barrow County
Sheriff's Office has already
activated the cameras in all
school zones in the unincor
porated parts of the county,
and a 30-day warning and ed
ucational period expires Sept.
3. Starting Sept. 7, tickets will
be issued for those driving 11
miles per hour over the posted
speed limit signs within the
school zones. The Statham
City Council has backed the
installation of the cameras in
the school zone in that city's
limits as well.
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•heard a presentation from
police chief Jim Fullington
on the city’s current code
enforcement practices and
potential improvements that
could be made to the city's
ordinance for more consistent
enforcement. Council mem
bers in general were in favor
of scheduling a work session
to craft revisions to the ordi
nance.
•approved, following a
closed session, joining in on
a nationwide opioid litigation
settlement between several
states' attorneys general and
the three largest pharmaceu
tical distributors of opioids,
along with Johnson & John
son. the parent company of
manufacturer Janssen Phar
maceuticals. According to
a summary, the settlements
would provide funds to states
and potentially local govern
ments for abatement of efforts
aimed at combating the opioid
epidemic and impose stricter
regulations on the major de
fendants and changes to the
way they conduct business.
More information is available
at https://nationalopioidsettle-
ment.com/.
Considering
((TM*R) )) buying or
selling?
770-867-9026
www.maynardrealty.com
The
4 Barrow News-Journal
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