Newspaper Page Text
6A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, August 24,2022
Dawson residents voice safety concerns
over proposed 332-home neighborhood
Julia Fechter Dawson County News
During an Aug. 16 rezoning hearing, planning commissioner John Maloney,
far left, expresses his concerns about density and traffic for a proposed 332-
home subdivision.
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
After over a dozen area
residents shared safety
concerns about a proposed
332-home neighborhood
at Grizzle and Hanging
Dog roads, the Dawson
County Planning
Commission voted 3-0 to
recommend denial of a
developer’s rezone request
at its Aug. 16 meeting.
Planning commission
member Steve Sanvi was
not able to attend and vote.
Applicant D.R. Horton
has requested a rezoning
of 333 acres from
Residential Sub-Rural to
Residential Planned
Community. The develop
ment concept plan shows
two points of entry along
Grizzle Road and ameni
ties such as a junior
Olympic pool, kid’s pool,
tennis courts and a club
house.
Developer consultant
Jim King, who presented
on D.R. Horton’s behalf,
added in follow-up com
ments to DCN that the
price point for the homes
is projected to be entry-
level or around $350,000.
District 4 Planning
Commissioner Neil
Hornsey stated that the
request “does not meet the
Future Land Use Map.”
“I don’t know how
Grizzle Road could handle
all that traffic,” Hornsey
said.
“The traffic study only
shows improvements to
Grizzle Road and Dawson
Forest [Road],” said
District 2 Planning
Commissioner John
Maloney, “even though
there’s quite a number of
trips that go in other direc
tions to other intersections
that they’re not even show
ing on the recommenda
tions.”
Maloney elaborated that
he felt “like the density
was too high” for making
the motion to recommend
denial, which was
approved 3-0, with
Chairman Jason Hamby
abstaining.
The Dawson County
Board of Commissioners
can vote to approve, deny
or table this rezoning
application at their Sept.
15 voting session, which
immediately follows the 4
p.m. work session.
Home density
Though the proposed
lots are listed as one-acre
lots, King clarified the
density will be “just less”
than one unit per acre,
with the homes clustered
closer to Grizzle Road.
“There are many other
one-acre parcels near the
Etowah River, so as far as
overall density is con
cerned, we’re not asking
for anything more dense
than a lot of the surround
ing properties,” King said.
When reviewing the
planning staff’s list of rec
ommended stipulations,
King did not agree with a
condition for density
reduction that would bring
the number of homes
down to 240 units.
“We feel like the 332
units we’re asking for is
justified for this particular
piece of property,” he said.
“Today’s families-at
least all of the national
builders I work for-every-
one’s looking for smaller
lots,” King said about lot
size. “They don’t want to
maintain the larger lots
anymore. The majority of
what my engineering firm
designs nowadays are 50
and 60-foot lots.”
Hamby countered by
saying that not all such
developments or proposed
developments are on “such
an environmentally sensi
tive piece of property.”
Maloney inquired as to
the amount of buildable
acres minus land in the
wetlands and floodplain
area. Removing that land
would mean removing 120
acres from the equation,
King said, so that would
leave 210 buildable acres
“So when you’re saying
an acre lot, you’re not
actually getting an acre
lot?” Maloney said.
“They’re not acre lots.
That’s based on the entire
size of the parcel,” King
added.
Water concerns
JoAnn Hause has a farm
directly across the Etowah
River, along Thompson
Road, that follows the land
in question for roughly a
third of the way.
While Hause said she
wasn’t for or against the
development, she said she
loses property “every time
there’s a flood” and
doesn’t want to lose any
more land.
Her biggest concern was
with potentially having to
deal with runoff from a
subdivision and wondered
how the developer could
guarantee that wouldn’t be
a problem in future years.
Hamby said a perpetual
conservation easement
could be made a stipula
tion for approving the
rezone and noted that
“without some protections,
we put our citizens at risk.”
“It would be a concern
of all Dawson County citi
zens, yes,” Hamby said.
Dawson County High
School alumna Lucy
Martinez also raised con
cerns about the river area’s
biodiversity, given that
land’s being developed “at
an abnormal rate.”
One stipulation was that
a minimum of 140 acres of
the project “be preserved
in perpetuity as [an] undis
turbed conservation area.”
King confirmed that his
client is additionally will
ing to do a conservation
easement to restrict usage
of that portion of the land.
That stipulation was not
put into place Tuesday,
since the Planning
Commission didn’t recom
mend approval, but the
Board of Commissioners
could add that condition if
they decide to approve the
rezoning application in
September.
King said his client is
fine with keeping the rec
ommended buffers along
wetland and riverside
areas. These proposed buf
fers include a 250-foot
undisturbed vegetative
buffer from the banks of
the Etowah River, accord
ing to the stipulations in
the Planning
Commission’s agenda
packet.
Also listed are condi
tions for a 50-foot, undis
turbed buffer on banks of
state waters (except for
perpendicular road and
utility crossings) plus an
additional 25-foot setback
from all stream banks.
Disturbance or encroach
ment by any stormwater,
sanitary sewer or other
related easements shall not
encroach a buffer, “except
as necessary for access
and the utility crossing”
and “as near to perpendic
ular as practical,” barring
encroachment by grading
for stormwater detention
ponds.
Daniel Brown, also not
for or against the rezone,
said he was thinking about
the land where he plans to
build a family home that
would use well water.
“I haven’t heard any
thing about a municipal
system going in. All we’ve
heard is everything com
ing in off of Grizzle
[Road],” he said.
“Obviously, I don’t know
what the sewer system’s
going to be on that devel
opment, but with 240 or
300 [plus] homes, it’s
going to be pretty concern
ing.”
In its comments to plan
ning staff, Etowah Water
& Sewer Authority stated
there were “no plans for
expansion at this time.”
Thus, the developer would
have to pay for any water
and sewer main upgrades
and extensions in accor
dance with EWSA regula
tions.
Traffic problems
During the meeting,
public speakers doubled
down on the need for
infrastructure and services
to come before develop
ment to help promote
more gradual, planned
growth.
One of Tuesday’s speak
ers was lifelong Grizzle
Road resident Candida
Elkins Castleberry, who
said the road is often used
as “a racetrack.” She said
one driver two weeks ago
came around a curve at
about 85 mph and rolled
their car three times in her
front yard.
“I don’t want somebody
to die in my front yard,”
she added. “One person
has already died in my
front yard in the last 20
years.”
As part of the stipula
tions, planning staff rec
ommended at the proposed
northern site driveway a
left turn lane; left and
right-turn deceleration
lanes; a left-turn only lane
and a shared through/right-
turn lane separating the
southbound approach.
Proposed at the intersec
tion of Dawson Forest and
Grizzle roads were a west
bound right-turn lane,
eastbound left-turn lane
and a left turn-only lane
and a shared through/right-
turn lane separating the
southbound approach.
King acknowledged the
need for traffic improve
ments and was amenable
to those.
Hamby cited a traffic
study showing a potential
3,044 vehicles on Grizzle
Road, most of which King
clarified would likely take
Grizzle to Dawson Forest
Road, instead of taking the
road to Lumpkin
Campground Road. The
consultant then confirmed
that Hanging Dog Road
would remain stopped off
as a dead-end road, and all
traffic would go out via
Dawson Forest way, thus
avoiding Ga. 9.
Resident Lydia
Gonzalez, who was neither
for or against the rezone,
said the 332 houses would
likely have double the
cars, if not more vehicles,
a problem since “Grizzle
Road is over trafficked as
it is,” she said.
Other speakers pointed
out that Hanging Dog
Road is still a dirt road and
that Grizzle Road, though
it’s been paved now, is a
mish-mash of angled
curves in need of straight
ening.
Tonia Bagwell, a
26-year resident of
Dawson County, asked
who in the county is talk
ing to the school system,
sheriff’s office and fire and
emergency services about
“all that clustered growth
between Grizzle and
Dawson Forest roads.”
Bagwell echoed another
speaker’s description of
the dynamic as “a future
nightmare” and urged
common-sense develop
ment.
“I appreciate you guys
(the Board of
Commissioners) for put
ting in the emergency
moratorium and really tak
ing a step back, but this is
a development that really,
really needs a lot of
research.”
Bagwell then pointed
out the aforementioned
traffic study and said the
traffic rating at Grizzle and
Dawson Forest roads is a
D-, not including school
commute times.
“That doesn’t include
the thoughts of school
buses, all the crime that
could potentially come ...
it could just be a domino
effect to watch a commu
nity [decline] that so many
of us in this room love and
appreciate and want to
keep it the way it is.”
She added that if the
rezoning is approved and
the project commences,
Dawson Forest Road
needs to be four lanes, and
Grizzle Road should be
straightened.
Speaker Larry Statham
said that the near future
“might be a bad time for
this building,” given loom
ing economic concerns
about a recession.
“Use your true judgment
on this,” Castleberry said
to the Planning
Commission. “Please
think about the ramifica
tions of what’s already
happening there [on
Grizzle Road] and how
this is going to add to
what’s already happening
there.”
FROM 1A
Thompson
added asset to the depart
ment and to the county,”
Edwards said of the vol
unteer capabilities.
BOC Chairman Billy
Thurmond said that he
“realized how difficult the
job was that he
(Thompson) stepped
into” and elaborated that
he and the county’s citi
zens “appreciate all that
Thompson has done.”
Fire Marshal Jeff
Bailey pointed to the Fire
& EMS department’s
“great leaps and bounds
forward” as the county
has continued to likewise
grow commercially and
residentially, leading to a
higher population and call
volume.
“Those are all things
he’s tried to get ahead of
the curve on,” said Bailey,
“and that’s what we need
to continue to do now —
to get ahead of the curve
now instead of trying to
catch up to it.”
District 2
Commissioner Chris
Gaines shared that orga
nizations like Fire &
EMS “rise and fall on
leadership and communi-
cations” and said
Thompson had modeled
that in multiple ways.
Gaines quipped that
while some of those deci
sions have cost “a lot of
money,” it’s been “money
well spent.”
“You’ve brought us into
a realm where we should
be able to provide great
services, and I appreciate
your leadership and
everything you’ve done
for Dawson County,”
Gaines said.
“It’s tough to leave this
organization,” Thompson
said, “but I’d like to think
I’ve left it a little better
than it was four and a half
years ago.”
He pointed to the vari
ous improvements that’ve
been made because of
input and hard work from
fellow first responders in
the field, and the changes
that are still to come, such
as the forthcoming radio
system upgrade and E-911
center SPLOST projects.
Thompson told his col
leagues to remember their
shared goals, to take care
of their own and to have
the courage to do what’s
right, “even when it’s not
the easiest choice.”
“Don’t be afraid to
attend those commission
meetings because they all
impact you,” Thompson
said. “It may not be that
you have an agenda item,
but every development
that comes into this com
munity, impacts you
directly. It impacts the ser
vice delivery model of
public safety — fire, EMS
and the law.”
“It’s truly been a privi
lege and an honor to serve
as your chief,” Thompson
said. “I love each and
every one of you out
there.”
“To me, success in any
position or job is leaving
something better than you
found it, and you have
done that. So to me, that’s
success... and I appreciate
it,” said District 1
Commissioner Sharon
Fausett.
She quipped whether
Thompson would “miss
her questions” from BOC
meetings and elaborated
that she would miss his
sense of humor.
Given the “serious busi
ness” that the BOC often
contends with, Fausett
said Thompson’s readi
ness to laugh “helps get us
through a lot of things.”
“I’m sorry you’re leav
ing ... but I wish you the
best in the world,” said
Fausett, “because you
have really helped
Dawson County, so you
[should] feel proud for
that.”
Dawson County Humane Society
a no kill shelter
Doggy Spotlight
Meet Paisley! Hello there big world! My name is Paisley and I am a
gorgeous red and white Spaniel Mix. All my legs are white and red
speckled and I have mesmerizing chocolate brown eyes that will melt
your heart! I weigh about 30 pounds and am estimated to be 1.5 years
old. I would need an adopter that could give me that patience, time, and
love that I need to transform into the brave, independent girl that I know
I can be! I am quite frightened of kids, men, and loud noises
(I need a home with women only). I would benefit from a dog friend to
play with and teach me how to be a dog. I am house-trained too.
I will chase cats. I am currently available for adoption. If you are
interested in meeting with me, please fill out an application or call the
Humane Society of Forsyth County at 770-887-6480, Tuesday through
Saturday, for more information. All my love and kisses, Paisley
706-265-9160
Paisley
For more information contact the 706-265-9160 | 633 Martin Rd, Dawsonville
Dawson County Humane Society Adjacent to the Rock Creek Sports Complex
Visit our RESALE SHOP & BOUTIQUE
Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. | 54 S. Lumpkin Campground Rd.
All proceeds benefits
the Humane Society
Dawsonville
Veterinary
Hospital
706-265-8381
ANH Collision
Specialists
706-216-0992
103 Industrial Park Road,
Dawsonville
Bradley M. Maple
CPA, PC
706-216-2362
2390 Thompson Rd • Ste 100
Dawsonville
