Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, June 8,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3A
Rezoning OK’d for Grandview at Lanier project
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The GrandView at Lanier conservation subdivision off of Ga. 53 will span 59.5
acres and include 55 townhomes and 84 single-family residences.
GrandView at Lanier
EXHIBIT A - SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
SITE DATA
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Concept plans for the development show townhouses to the left side of the
land and the homes to the right for a total average gross density of 2.33 acres.
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Following news of a proposed settle
ment with the developer, the Dawson
County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0
to approve a rezone request of 59.5 acres
for 139 residential units off of Ga. 53 near
Elliott Road.
The request was approved with a list of
stipulations that Planning Director Sharon
Farrell read into the record during the
meeting.
On May 5, the commissioners voted to
approve a settlement agreement between
Dawson Forest Holdings and the county
for the GrandView at Fanier subdivision.
The subdivision’s renewed concept plans
are part of that proposed settlement.
GrandView at Fanier first came into
public discourse in the beginning of 2018.
At that time, the developer requested a
rezoning of parcels TMP FI3-081 and
114-033 from CHB (Commercial
Highway Business) and RA (Residential
Agriculture) to RMF (Residential Multi-
Family) and RS3 (Residential Suburban 3).
Then in February 2018, a lawyer for
Dawson Forest Holdings sued the then-
county commissioners individually and in
their government capacities, alleging their
refusal to change the zoning classification
infringed the developer’s property rights.
The developer wanted 16.5 acres
rezoned to RMF for the townhouses in the
western part of the land and then 43-plus
acres to the east of a creek rezoned to RS3.
The subdivision is planned to have 55
multi-family residences and 84 single-fam
ily ones, for an overall density of 2.33 resi
dential units per acre.
Miles, Hansford and Tallant lawyer
Joshua Scoggins spoke on behalf of
Dawson Forest Holdings. Scoggins
described the minimum square footage for
the townhomes and single-family homes to
be 1,000 and 2,000 square feet respective
ly. He estimated the prices for each to be
“high 200s” and “high 300s.”
This iteration of the subdivision includes
38 less homes than the initially-planned
177. Scoggins said the presented concept
plan is one with which his client can be
happy, calling the development a conserva
tion subdivision that better uses topogra
phy and open areas and saves taxpayers
money by helping resolve the litigation.
Per those rules, the concept plan includ
ed space for an event lawn and park and a
minimum of 23 acres for open space.
A main entrance is planned coming into
the development from Ga. 53. A gated,
unpaved emergency access is planned on
the eastern side of the land bordering
Elliott Road. This secondary entrance will
have grass and be load-bearing so regular
drivers are not encouraged to drive into it.
Back at the May 5 BOC meeting, coun
ty manager David Headley shared staff’s
recommendation to overlay Elliott Road
where possible on its eastern or non-resi-
dential side and add a two- to four-foot
shoulder and pull offs to help improve
sight distance.
Additionally, the developer is to dedicate
a 15-foot right of way along Elliott Road.
Behind that strip of space would be a
required 50-foot graded and replanted buf
fer with a six-foot berm along the road.
The trees in the buffer would include over
40 percent evergreen species, Farrell said.
Also included in the stipulations were
several other buffer conditions relating to
adjacent tracts and distance from water
ways.
As a lake-area resident, Tony Passarello
expressed his concern about the impact of
the development’s construction on proxi
mate streams and Fake Fanier, citing how
runoff and stormwater mismanagement
during past construction has made the
nearby cove unusable.
He estimated the development will have
about 280 feet of lake frontage and asked
for additional stipulations like doubling
the waterway buffers, increasing county-
level stormwater monitoring and publica
tion of findings and prohibiting disposal of
concrete washout within 500 feet of the
state streams and lake.
District 3 Commissioner Tim Satterfield
and District 4 Commissioner Emory
Dooley reaffirmed that such findings could
and would be made publicly available.
At least one person also wondered about
protections against sewer spills, given the
planned location of a sewer pump on the
concept schematics.
“I don’t want to do anything that’s going
to jeopardize the water...not at all,” said
District 1 Commissioner Sharon Fausett.
Scoggins later said that the developer
has increased the lots’ setback to allow for
the 25 and 50-foot buffers, even though
they can legally run the lots right up to the
bodies of water.
Multiple county officials at the meeting
commented on how regulations at the
county, state and federal levels have been
strengthened over the past few years.
Scoggins added that the regulations “are
not something that’s played around by
developers now” and elaborated that “mil
lions of dollars in liability” hang on mind
ing runoff-related rules.
Satterfield pointed to the county’s intent
to add a stormwater projects manager onto
staff in the future, which County Manager
David Headley presented at the June 2
work session.
Multiple speakers also shared concerns
about how the development would likely
stress already-busy emergency services,
particularly Fire Station 2, and cost the
county more to service than the taxes that
would be generated.
Fausett later sympathized with the pub
lic speakers, saying she didn’t want people
to be miserable in the homes they’ve built
and bought.
“My loyalty is to those who are already
here,” she said. “To me, your comments do
make a difference. I do listen and take
notes...and this isn’t just a formality. I
want something to come out of it.”
District 2 Commissioner Chris Gaines
added that the development’s initial impact
was projected to be much worse and said
they’ve come a long way in getting it to
where it is now in the plans.
“Nobody leaves happy,” he said. “I don’t
think the developer’s happy because they
wanted more lots, and we’re not fully
happy because we didn’t want any lots.”
Gaines said it comes down to “the mid
dle ground” and reaffirmed this plan as
being the best one yet where “both sides
have come to the table to try to mitigate the
concerns that both of us have as much as
possible.”
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Dawson County Elections
and Registration
Voting Schedule
For the Democratic & Republican Primary Runoff
June 21.2022
Voter Registration Deadline: April 25th local & State ~ May 23,2022 Federal
Mon - Fri 8am to 5pm
June 13-17,2022 -
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need to be requested each election year, in order to receive ballots, by mail,
for the remainder of that year; time frame to request begins 78 days
prior and ends **11 days prior to the election on the application sup
plied by the Secretary of State's office.
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**ALL absentee voters: June 10,2022 is the last day to request an absentee
ballot for this election.
All Polls will be open Election Day from 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
~ Must vote at assigned precinct on Election Day ~
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Supply)
If in question about your voting location, and/or to
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call the Elections & Registration office at 706-344-3640
~ For primary runoff elections, what ballot choice you voted in the pri
mary, you must vote the same ballot choice in the runoff. If you did not
vote in the primary, if eligible, you may choose to vote in the runoff for
the selection of your choice.
(No voting on Monday prior to all elections).
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The Dawson County Board of Elections
and Registration is scheduled to begin
the Logic & Accuracy preparation
& testing process on, ICP & ICC
tabulators, ICX-BMD, Poll Pads &
other necessary voting equipment
for use in the June 21, 2022 General
Primary Democratic & Republican
Party Runoff Election on Tuesday,
June 7th, 2022 at 96 Academy Avenue.
Testing will continue from
9 am to 4 pm daily until completion
and is open to the public.
Any questions can be directed to
gferguson@dawsoncounty.org
Glenda Ferguson
Election Supervisor
