Little Tiger Theatre
Co. performs ‘High
School Musical Jr.’
INSIDE, 3A
Chamber hosts
fourth annual
Mountain Madness
trail run. sports,ib
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I MARCH 30, 2022 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
Meeting set for mixed-use village
Plan would include subdivision, apartments, shops, public green space, event area
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
A community meeting has been
scheduled to discuss resident concerns
about a proposed 518-acre mixed-use
village off of Dawson County’s Ga. 400
corridor.
The meeting is set for Tuesday, April
12 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Dawson
County Board of Education’s
Professional Development Center. The
one-story center is located at 28 Main
Street in Dawsonville, next to the BOE
building.
Atlanta developer Fox Creek
Properties’ proposed village would
include a subdivision, apartment com
plex, shops, public green space and
event area, offices and a warehouse
space. If built, the development would
also include one segment of a forthcom
ing county greenway.
The vote to recommend the rezone’s
approval or denial was tabled until the
Planning Commission’s meeting on
April 19 following an extensive amount
of citizen outcry. Before Fox Creek’s
presentation then, the developer had
already tried two other times to get ver
sions of the proposed project approved.
People’s concerns about the develop
ment include that it would create more
traffic congestion on roadways, lead to
See Fox Creek12A
Fox Creek
Properties
has
applied to
rezone
518 acres
for a
mixed-use
village
along
Dawson
County's
bustling
Ga. 400
corridor.
Photo submit
ted to DCN
Making a splash
Photos by Erica Jones Dawson County News
Representatives of Kilough Elementary School, dressed as the 'Dunkin' Donuts/ jump into Lake Lanier during
the March 26 'Leap for Literacy' event.
‘Leap for Literacy raises $3500 for Wee Books program
Locals rally
around teen
battling rare
brain cancer
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Locals now have another
support Dawson County
High School sophomore
Mason Palmour in the near
future.
Friends and family will
host a “punt, pass and
kick” fundraiser on
Saturday, April 16 at Rock
Creek Park from 8 a.m. to
3 p.m. Proceeds will go
toward Mason receiving a vital cancer
treatment from a California facility.
Kids starting with the youngest group of
5 and 6-year-olds and up to 18-year-olds
will compete to see who can kick and
throw a football the longest distance.
Registration is open until April 13, and the
entry fee is $25. People can sign up
through the link on the “MasonStrong
Fundraising” Facebook page. Volunteers
are also needed for the event.
opportunity to
Palmour
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
Despite cold temperatures
and wind, dozens of com
munity members came out
to War Hill Park this past
weekend to jump into the
chilly Lake Lanier in sup
port of childhood literacy,
raising $3500 for local non
profit Dawson County Wee
Books Program.
During the annual event,
community members and
groups raise money for the
nonprofit by signing up to
“leap” (jump), “ramp run”
(wade) or “toe tap” (stick
their feet into) into Lake
Lanier. The leapers, ramp
runners and toe tappers are
then judged on their cos
tumes and performances
during their chosen activity.
This year, the event raised
approximately $3500 for
the Wee Books program, an
amount which will make a
huge difference for the pro-
gram, according to
Chairwoman Karmen
Pharris. Since the nonprofit
hasn’t been able to host the
Leap for Literacy fundraiser
for the past two years, she
said that the community’s
support has really kept Wee
Books afloat.
“Fundraising really took a
hit over the last two years,
but the community and
business leaders really
A representative of Black's Mill Elementary School jumps into Lake Lanier during
the March 26 "Leap for Literacy" event.
stepped up to help us,”
Pharris said. “For two years
we haven’t been able to do
this fundraiser, so we’re
thrilled to start back and be
back in business.”
The Dawson County Wee
Books Program is designed
to get books in the hands of
children before they go to
kindergarten, to begin culti
vating a love for literacy
before they even set foot in
school. According to Pharris,
the program is currently
See Leap 12A
Representatives of Robinson Elementary School jump
into Lake Lanier during the March 26 'Leap for
Literacy' event.
See Mason 17A
Council tables
vote on Hwy. 9
rezoning request
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
During the March 21 meeting of the
Dawsonville City Council, council members
heard amendments to a rezoning request off
of Highway 9 which would allow for the
construction of a new development adjacent
to Thunder Ridge, and voted to table a deci
sion on the request until the next council
meeting on April 18.
The original request, which was presented
to the Dawsonville Planning Commission on
Feb. 14 and the Dawsonville City Council on
March 7, was made by Smith Douglas
Homes (SDH) Atlanta LLC and asked to
rezone two tracts of land totaling just over
121 acres from R1 district (Restricted Single
Family Residential District) to R3 districting
(Single Family Residential District).
According to the initial request, the tracts
of land, which are adjacent to the south of
the Thunder Ridge development off of
Highway 9 South, would be rezoned to
allow for the construction of 236 lots with a
density of just under two lots per acre. The
proposed homes would have a minimum of
1,500 square feet, and the development
would include open space and amenities for
residents.
See Rezoning 12A
9 0 9 9 4
Inside
Volume 8, Number 13
© 2021, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Events
2B
Classifieds
7B
Dear Abby
4B
Deaths
2A
Legals
8B
Opinion
9A
Sports
1B
4A DCSO
sweeps racing
title from
Fire & EMS.
6B Martial arts
studio raises
funds for Relay
for Life.
