Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, December 19,2018
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 9A
Board to host hearing on completed comprehensive plan
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County Board
of Commissioners plans to con
duct a public hearing on the
county’s 2018 comprehensive
plan draft, which was recently
approved by the state
Department of Community
Affairs and is ready for the
board to adopt.
The plan is a roadmap for
elected officials to use when
planning for the future, and the
county began the update pro
cess early this year with sur
veys and public meetings solic
iting citizen input on the way
they want future growth and
development to be handled.
Four public input and update
meetings were held throughout
the spring and summer and a
28-question online survey col
lected input from over 500 peo
ple.
The plan must be updated
every five years in order for the
county to maintain its Certified
Local Government Status,
which makes the county eligible
for state grants and programs.
Presenting the plan to the
board on Dec. 13 was Planning
and Development Director
Jameson Kinley along with
Adam Hazell, director of plan
ning for the Georgia Mountains
Regional Commission, who has
helped facilitate the process of
updating the plan.
Perhaps the most important
piece of the plan, the map
which shows how the board
wants the county to look in the
future and how they want to
accommodate new growth, was
the main topic of conversation
during the work session due to
the addition of something
called a character area map.
Traditionally the county has
utilized a future land use map,
which shows the current and
potential zoning for every par
cel in the county. When devel
opers or property owners want
to build or develop land in a
way that would change the use
of a property, they have to
apply to the county to have the
zoning changed.
If the applicant asked for a
rezoning that was consistent
with the future land use map,
the board would have a hard
time legally defending a denial
of the rezoning.
The proposed comprehensive
plan that was presented to the
board for approval includes a
character area map in place of
the future land use map. The
map includes nine recommend
ed character areas, which
Hazell defined as sub-areas
where multiple uses are
allowed that are all compatible
with each other.
This allows for more flexibil
ity because the county would
be looking at zoning on a
neighborhood scale as opposed
to individual parcels.
“The notion is that if some
one were to come before the
county looking for a rezoning
now, they would almost essen
tially have to fit exactly what is
on (the future land use map)
versus having some options that
might be available to them
under the character area map,”
Hazell said. “It’s a matter of
approach; the state allows
either one.”
Multiple members of the
board said they were previously
unfamiliar with the concept of a
character area, and Chairman
Billy Thurmond said he would
like to have another public
hearing now that the document
is ready to be approved to allow
the community a chance to pro
vide feedback.
Hazell said that the plan is a
living document, and can be
revisited even after the board
votes to approve it.
The proposed character areas
are detailed in the draft begin
ning on page 26. The draft can
be located at dawsoncounty.org
under public notices.
The board could decide to
schedule a public hearing at the
Dec. 20 voting session.
In other business:
County Attorney Lynn Frey
asked the board for approval
during the work session to
move forward with the pur
chase of land for Fire Station 9,
which is planned to be built off
Sweetwater Juno Road.
Frey said the county would
hopefully be closing on the
land on Dec. 18 for the pur
chase price of $27,590, the
same amount as the current tax
valuation.
The board voted unanimous
ly to allow Frey to approve the
expenditure and sign off on the
documents necessary to com
plete the purchase.
The fire station is a SPLOST
VI project.
Coming up on Thursday’s
voting session, the board will in
all likelihood vote to rescind
their objection to an annexation
request the city council
approved on Dec. 3, contingent
upon the county withdrawing
the objection.
The property in question is
located at the corner of Allen
Street and Perimeter Road next
to the Stonewall subdivision,
where developers proposed a
53-home subdivision with a
density of 3.7 units per acre.
The board of commissioners
objected to the density in a let
ter sent to the city in October,
and developers subsequently
proposed a density of 3.2 units
per acre, bringing the number
of homes down to 44-45 lots.
On Thursday the board will
also hear an update from Brian
Trapnell, chairman of the
Development Authority of
Dawson County.
The development authority
has undergone several changes
in the past year, including
entering into a partnership with
the Dawson County Chamber
of Commerce and remodeling
and relocating into the same
building as the chamber, as
well as the creating the role of
Director of Economic
Development, which was filled
by Betsy McGriff in July.
Also on the agenda, the board
could vote to approve a con
tractor for work on the
Lumpkin Campground Road
and Hwy. 53 intersection; vote
to approve a rezoning request
for a minor three-home subdi
vision; approve several grant
applications and reappoint
members of the planning com
mission.
David Headley named
Appointed Official of Year
From staff reports
Photo for the Dawson County News
Dawson County Manager David Headley, center,
receives the Appointed Official of the Year award
from Georgia Mountains Regional Commission
Executive Director Heather Feldman and GMRC
Chairman Dean Scarborough.
Dawson County
Manager David Headley
was recently recognized
as the Appointed Official
of the Year by the
Georgia Mountains
Regional Commission
(GMRC).
Headley received the
honor during GMRC’s
annual awards banquet
Dec. 7 in Dillard.
GMRC Executive
Director Heather
Feldman said the award
celebrates an individual
who is dedicated to serv
ing the public and who
has shown passion and
commitment not only to
the county for which they
serve, but the GMRC
council and staff as well.
“Winston Churchill
once said, ‘Attitude is a
little thing that makes a
big difference,”’ Feldman
said. “This year’s recipi
ent has one of the most
uplifting, caring and
cooperative attitudes in
the public service realm.
“He is a hard worker
who understands the
value and importance of
community, and his com
passion, stellar leadership
abilities and willingness
to help others is to be
commended. He is a man
of true integrity, and this
is amplified by his desire
and passion to help peo
ple. His policies and ini
tiatives exemplify and
demonstrate the values
and ethics held so
esteemed within the local
government profession.
“He is a true friend to
the GMRC and consis
tently and enthusiastically
supports the mission and
promotes the programs
and services of the
GMRC. He has a com
bined five and a half
years of serving on the
GMRC Council, to which
he has fully supported the
mission of the organiza
tion. Furthermore, he
actively engages with
staff and is held in the
highest respect by staff.
He was responsible for
sponsoring this year’s
staff retreat at Amicalola
Falls.”
Headley has served as
Dawson County manager
since 2016 and prior to
that was the city manager
for the city of
Dawsonville. He served
as the director of public
works for Dawson
County from 2008-2015.
“It is a true honor to
have been selected and
recognized among such
other dedicated and sup
portive GMRC appli
cants,” Headley said. “I
cannot say enough about
the great work GMRC
does for Dawson County
and its other member
counties. I am moved that
the GMRC team chose
me for this honor.”
Commission Chairman
Billy Thurmond recog
nized Headley during the
board’s Dec. 13 work ses
sion.
“We’re proud of David
and his recognition in ref
erence to being chosen,”
Thurmond said.
Quilt guild raffle supports art center
Photo for the Dawson County News
Jane Wilson was the winner of the 2018 Bowen Center for the Arts quilt
raffle in a drawing on Dec. 12. The king-size quilt, "Goodnight, Irene,"
was created by over 42 quilters from the Dawsonville Heart in Hand
Quilt Guild using Civil War era fabric designs. Proceeds from the raffle
were donated to the arts center, a nonprofit organization that serves to
enrich the cultural and artistic spirit of Dawson County.
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