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Tigers down Gilmer,
set up showdown
with Lumpkin.
SPORTS, IB
Dawsonville
Hardware celebrates
75 years in business.
INSIDE, 5A
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I OCTOBER 26, 2022 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
Council OKs road annexation, rezoning
Vote divided on developer’s proposal to build 195 rental apartments off Perimeter Road
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
In a divided vote during the
Oct. 17 meeting of the
Dawsonville City Council, the
mayor and council members
approved an annexation and
rezoning request for 33.98 acres
of land located off of Perimeter
Road for the construction of 195
rental apartment units.
According to a presentation by
developer Jim Chapman during
the council’s Oct. 3 meeting, Jim
Chapman Communities, Inc. is
requesting for the annexation of
three acres into city limits, fol
lowed by the rezoning of that
tract and just under 31 additional
acres from R1 (Restricted Single-
Family Residential District) to R6
(Multiple-Family Residential
District).
Upon rezoning, the developer
wants to then construct 195 apart
ment units with a density of 5.74
units per acre.
In his presentations to both the
planning commission and the city
council, Chapman explained that
his goal is to build a development
similar to The Cottages at
Dawson Ridge, which is located
at 500 North Lumpkin
Campground Road in Dawson
County. The biggest difference,
he said, is that the proposed new
development would be a gated
community.
Each of the units would have
the master on the main and at
least a one-car garage, and the
community’s amenities would
include a clubhouse, pool and
dog park, he said. In Dawson
Ridge, which should be compara
ble to the new development, he
said that there is an average of
1.95 occupants per unit, the aver
age age is 41 years old, 57.8 per
cent of occupants are single and
the average income per door is
$182,560.
The Dawsonville Planning
Commission voted to recom
mend denial of the requests dur
ing its Sept. 12 meeting, saying
that the proposed project would
not support the city’s comprehen
sive plan. In a public hearing at
the same time, residents of
adjoining developments voiced
concerns about impacts on the
traffic, congestion and on the
school system.
The Dawson County Board of
Commissioners also heard the
request on Sept. 16 and voted to
send a letter objecting the pro
posed annexation to the mayor
and council.
The city council held a public
hearing for the matter on Oct. 3,
asking questions of Chapman and
Joey Homans from Fox,
Chandler, Homans, Hicks &
McKinnon, LLP, the firm repre
senting the developer. No mem
bers of the public spoke during
the council’s public hearing.
At the Oct. 17 meeting, council
member Mark Prench made a
motion to approve the requests
with the condition that the devel
oper agrees to meet almost all of
the list of guidelines set forth by
the planning department.
According to the packet for the
meeting, these guidelines include
a no-access easement adjoining
Highway 53 East and Perimeter
Road frontage boundary, the
See Perimeter 13A
Moonshine Festival draws
crowds to Dawsonville
Photos by Erica Jones Dawson County News
This past weekend marked the 55th annual Mountain Moonshine Festival in Dawsonville.
55th annual event supports K.A.R.E. for Kids’ Christmas program
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
This past weekend, the
55th annual Mountain
Moonshine Lestival drew
hundreds of visitors to the
Dawsonville City Hall
Complex to enjoy the car
show, live music, parade,
moonshine run and dozens
of vendors spread out
throughout Main Street
Park.
The festival, which was
put on by local nonprofit
K.A.R.E. for Kids and pre
sented by Bank’s Septic
Tank Service, kicked off on
Lriday morning with the
annual Moonshine Run,
followed by the parade and
opening ceremonies on
Saturday morning. Vendors
selling everything from
food to clothing to hand
made crafts filled the park
and sold their wares all day
on both Saturday and
Sunday.
As they do each year,
proceeds from the festival
went to support K.A.R.E.
for Kids’ annual Christmas
program, which aims at
providing Christmas pres
ents to local children whose
families need a little extra
help at Christmastime.
See Moonshine 14A
Grand Marshal Donnie Allison speaks during the opening
ceremonies for the 55th annual Mountain Moonshine
Festival on Saturday Oct. 22. From left, David Sosebee,
Donnie Allison and Gordon Pirkle.
Burt’s marks
50 years with
special honor
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
On Tuesday Oct. 18, state and local offi
cials, business owners, community mem
bers, family and friends gathered at Burt’s
Pumpkin Farm for a very special recogni
tion of the Burt family and their farm’s 50th
anniversary.
During the event, several elected officials
shared their remarks, the Dawson County
Chamber of Commerce held a 50th anniver-
sary ribbon cutting, and State
Representative Will Wade read a resolution
officially declaring Oct. 18, 2022 as Burt’s
Pumpkin Farm Day across the state of
Georgia.
According to Wade, who grew up near the
farm and has known the Burt family for
much of his life, there is no family more
deserving of the honor than the Burt family.
See Burt's 13A
BOC seeks to
remedy flaws
in residential
moratorium
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Before the Board of Commissioners
extended the ongoing moratorium on resi
dential rezoning applications to Nov. 18,
Chairman Billy Thurmond recognized some
of the unintended targets of the measure
aspiring single-family homeowners.
“When we look at it then, I think we take a
more serious look at residential zoning that
See Moratorium 12A
0
90994 04002
Inside
Volume 8, Number 38
© 2022, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
2B
Classifieds
10B
Dear Abby
9B
Deaths
2A
Legals
11B
Opinion
11A
Sports
1B
2A Bowen
Center for the
Arts to hold
“Witches Tea”
brunch.
6B Area residents
reject proposed
rec expansions
at War Hill
Park.
Q)amonville
B. MANZUR, D.M.D.
754 HWY. 53 WEST, DAWSONVILLE, GA
706-265-2505
"We all try and go above
and beyond and give that
five start treatment, so it's
rewarding to know that
what we do matters."
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