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Plans for upscale mall are dropped
By Phillip Hermann
Business Editor
Once envisioned as the
cornerstone of retail econom
ic development in south
Forsyth County, the proposed
mall and mixed-use project
by The Rouse Co. could wind
up as something far less.
Rouse, officials notified
the county on Tuesday that
the company has been unable
to secure two more anchor
retail stores for the 1.4 mil
lion-square-foot shopping
mall. Although Neiman
Marcus is on board, other tra
ditional Rouse clients such as
Saks, Bloomingdales and
Nordstrom haven’t made a
commitment to the new site.
A letter to county officials
written by Chris Carlaw,
Rouse vice president and
senior development director,
states: “We remain convinced
that the project requires three
department stores to be suc
cessful as originally envi
sioned. While the strength of
the Forsyth County market in
disposable income per house
hold is remarkable, and the
long-term growth potential
for the county will continue,
we have not been able to
meet our vision for the retail
ing core of the Town Center.
Kieffer advises newcomers to improve roads
Jan. 1,2003
By Phillip Hermann
Business Editor
When John Kieffer was
elected to a second term on
the Forsyth County Board of
Commissioners in 1998. he
beat the odds by becoming
the first incumbent out of the
past 13 to win a second four
year term.
But Kieffer wasn’t to
enjoy the same success in
seeking a third term, losing in
the September runoff election
to Charles Laughinghouse.
And as of 12:01 a.m. on the
first day of 2003, the county
commission’s incumbent
chairman was no longer in
public office.
Two days before finishing
his term, Kieffer offered
some words of wisdom to his
successor and to the board of
commissioners that he leaves
behind.
First, and foremost, he
said in an interview Monday,
it’s important that the com
missioners continue to
strengthen ties with state and
regional agencies that, to a
great extent, have a hand in
local fates in terms of water
quantity and quality and
transportation improvements.
Probation officer arrested for bribery
By Steven H. Pollak
Staff Writer
The Georgia Bureau of
Investigation on Tuesday
arrested a Cumming-based
probation officer on charges
of bribery.
Christopher Orrin
Cleveland, an 18-year veteran
with the Georgia Department
of Corrections’ Probation
Division, allegedly accepted
payments from a probationer
in exchange for a reduction in
the level of supervision during
a probationary term.
The GBI has charged him
with two counts of bribery
and one count of violation of
oath by a public officer. Those
offenses, all felonies, carry a
combined maximum sentence
of 45 years in prison.
According to Special
Agent-In-Charge John Cagle
of the GBI, Cleveland took
three payments during the
month of February.
Cagle called the payments
“substantial” and said they
consisted of “several thousand
dollars,” but he declined to
give specific amounts.
All three alleged bribes
occurred after Cleveland’s
work hours in the parking lot
of Rooster’s Case on Atlanta
Highway. He was arrested
there Tuesday night after
May 1,2003
“The site has enormous
possibilities and potential
benefits for the county and
the state. Although the com
ponents and uses of a viable
project are probably similar
to the original idea, the char
acteristics of the anchors will
not be those that were origi
nally hoped. We must alter
the program and prepare an
alternative plan consistent
with the project’s mixed-use
concept and the site’s pre
miere location,” Carlaw
wrote.
The company has already
obtained the necessary rezon
ing needed for the develop
ment, slated for nearly 151
acres near exit 12 of Ga. 400
and Union Hill Road.
Rouse originally proposed
developing 1.4 million square
feet of retail space; 900,000
square feet of office space; a
500-room hotel; and 375
condominiums or apartments.
In the letter, Carlaw does
n’t specify new prospective
retail tenants or modifica
tions to the original plan.
Forsyth County Commis
sion Chairman Jack Conway
expressed “disappointment”
“Myself and the board
worked very hard the past
four years to try and build
stronger bridges with agen
cies like the Atlanta Regional
Commission, Georgia Re
gional Transportation
Authority and the Georgia
Mountains Regional Develop
ment Center,” Kieffer said.
"Problems with water and
roads are being addressed on
a regional level, and it’s
important that we continue to
get our voices heard at those
levels.”
Not surprisingly, Kieffer
said the biggest challenge
faced by the new board, by
far, will be improving the
county's transportation sys
tem. Critical roadway
improvements left unsolved
could hamper the county’s
future growth and quality of
life. But he said the political
changing of the guard at the
state level of government
could bode well for this coun
ty-
“One thing that could be
in the board’s favor is that we
had a positive outcome in the
gubernatorial race and now
have a Republican governor. I
expect it will be easier to
work with Sonny Perdue’s
administration to get some
things accomplished that have
been bogged down for years
Feb. 21,2003
reportedly
accepting
the last pay
ment.
The pro
faati o n e r
who paid
Cleveland
had been
working as
an inform
ant for the
I i
■ w
1 I
Cleveland
GBI and, according to Cagle,
nearby agents monitored and
tape-recorded the transac
tions. As of Wednesday, the
law enforcement agency still
had not recovered all the
money Cleveland reportedly
accepted.
The GBI, along with the
Georgia Department of
Corrections, had begun
investigating Cleveland ear
lier in the month after alle
gations of corruption sur
faced against the probation
officer.
“We became aware of it
through another law enforce
ment agency in north
Georgia,” Cagle said. The
GBI agent would not name
the agency.
Cleveland, 42, of Shady
over the announcement, but
added that part of the board’s
approval of the needed rezon
ing and conditions for the
development was based on
Rouse’s excellent reputation
in the mall industry.
“Obviously, what is going
on throughout the shopping
center industry nationwide in
terms of the economy is hav
ing a direct impact on
Rouse’s plans. That industry
is having economic problems
like everyone else,” Conway
said. “I’m disappointed
because I wanted to see the
high-end retail environment.
But they are still Rouse and
part of what we approved
was based on the Rouse
name and their track record
of quality development.”
Conway speculated that
other retail anchors can be
convinced to come to the
mall.
“I don’t think the revamp
ing of the plan is going to be
a downsizing of the size, but
maybe a reduction in the
level of the retailers attract
ed. But I’m also convinced
that Rouse will work with
high-quality retailers and
make this something the
county can be proud of, if
they can complete it.”
He noted the company has
in terms of funding for road
improvements,” Kieffer said.
Asked what he feels were
his biggest accomplishments
on the county board. Kieffer
said he is most proud of the
construction of a new water
treatment facility that will
ensure the county’s water
supply will not be threatened.
Another milestone, he said, is
the start of construction of the
new sewerage treatment facil
ity on the Fowler property in
south Forsyth County.
“Those are facilities that
will pay huge dividends down
the road in terms of economic
growth that we’ve not had
before in this county,” he
noted.
Kieffer said he also is
proud of the improvements
made to the county’s parks
and recreation system, with
more park land created along
with the construction of new
ballfields and facilities to
handle the flood of families
who need recreational outlets.
He also pointed to the
tight fiscal ship that he has
run.
“I’m especially proud that
the county’s taxes have
remained the same since I
began office— at least in
terms of what we’re spending
for maintenance and operat
ing costs,” he said.
Oak Lane in north Forsyth
County, has worked for the
Georgia Department of
Corrections as a probation
officer in the Cumming pro
bation office since 1984.
According to Scheree
Lipscomb, a public informa
tion officer with the
Department of Corrections,
Cleveland has no other disci
plinary actions on his
employment record.
He has been suspended
pending the case’s outcome,
she added.
Steve Jackson, the chief
probation officer for Forsyth
County and Cleveland’s
supervisor, declined to com
ment on the incident.
A man answered the
phone at the Cleveland
household Wednesday morn
ing and said the probation
officer “probably would not
make a comment.” When
asked to identify himself, the
man abruptly hung up, say
ing, “Please don’t call back.”
Cleveland was released
Wednesday morning from
the Forsyth County Adult
Detention Center on a
$25,000 bond. He is sched
uled to be arraigned in the
Superior Court of Forsyth
County on March 14 at 8:30
a.m.
invested nearly four years of
its time and funding in the
project.
“Knowing how long it
took Rouse to get to this
point, it’s impossible to spec
ulate about how long it will
take to complete the project.
But they have invested a lot
of time and money in their
vision,” Conway said.
Commissioner Charles
Laughinghouse also
expressed disappointment.
“I know there was a lot of
work put into attracting
Rouse here —by the cham
ber [Cumming-Forsyth
County], the prior board of
commissioners and others,”
Laughinghouse said. “We’re
just going to have to wait and
see what comes in its place.
But it can’t be a strip mall
with five nail salons. We
need quality retail businesses
to help balance our tax base.”
Laughinghouse also ex
pressed confidence that
Rouse’s track record for
development gives him hope
that eventually the project
will be completed.
“I feel Rouse is a highly
professional company and
what eventually is worked
out for that site will be some
thing the county can be proud
of,” he said.
To the two newest mem
bers of the board who took
office at the same moment he
left it, Kieffer stressed the
importance of working
together as a five-member
board.
“You can’t do anything
alone any more, and you
can’t do anything on the
commission without three
votes,” Kieffer said.
And he had high praise
for county employees.
“I worked with some good
Open House
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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Friday, January 23,2004
Conway said he’s com
mitted to working with the
company to make an altered
plan come to fruition.
However, he added, the board
will be watchful of what the
company wants to do.
“If it gets to a point where
the original plan is changed
significantly in terms of, say,
taking out the access road
through the property or doing
away with the greenspace
requirements or a lessening
of the design elements
attached as conditions, then
we’re going to have to take a
serious look at it,” Conway
said.
The original plan was to
build the project in three
phases, with Phase 1 includ
ing one million square feet of
retail, 100,000 square feet for
offices and the 375 condos or
apartments. The scheduled
completion date was targeted
for sometime in 2005. Phase
2 would have included an
additional 200,000 square
feet of retail and 250,000
square feet of offices to be
completed by 2008. Finally,
Phase 3 would add 200,000
square feet of retail, 550,000
square feet of office and the
hotel with a completion date
of 2011.
In addition to approval of
people, and this county has a
number of top people l’d
especially like to thank
[County Administrator]
Stevie Mills and the depart
ment heads who work so
hard and do such a good job,”
Kieffer said.
Now that his political
career may be over
though, he admits, he “never
likes to say never” in terms
of the future, Kieffer said
he’s looking forward to
growing his custom-building
PAGE 3C
the plan by the board and
planning commission, the
Rouse project also received
favorable recommendations
from The Georgia Mountains
Regional Development
Center and the Georgia
Regional Transportation
Authority.
Rouse has a strong nation
al track record of building
upscale, attractively land
scaped malls featuring major
retail chains.
On other projects, Rouse
has worked with Nordstrom,
L.L. Bean, Neiman Marcus,
Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord &
Taylor and Dillards. The
company also owns and oper
ates Perimeter Mall in
DeKalb County.
Rouse, through its numer
ous affiliates, operates more
than 200 properties encom
passing retail, office,
research and development
and industrial space in 21
states.
The company owns and/or
operates 45 regional retail
centers and 14 community
centers.
Totaling more than 41
million square feet of space,
the retail centers include
approximately 135 nationally
known department stores and
7,000 small merchants.
business while enjoying more
time with his wife and chil
dren.
“I’m going to have more
time to be a husband, a
father, a soccer coach, and
I’m even going to coach
Little League,” he said.
“I’m going to do all the
things I never had the time to
do because I was a commis
sioner and the chairman. I’ve
enjoyed the past eight years,
and I’m looking forward to
the future.”