Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2011
City of Arcade
Leaders need more time to mull large, multi-use development
“I don't know if you want this or not realizing that
you 're signing on your grandchildren's future. ”
— Dr. Bruce Hollett, opposed to the development
“It's phased. It's not a project that you go in and
clear 1,600 acres and start trying to put up masses of
houses. ”
— Jeff Rice, member of design team for Arcade Meadows
BY BEN MUNRO
ARCADE city leaders need addi
tional time to think about a pro
posed 1,600-acre mixed-use sub
division along Hwy. 129 and three
other roads that could potentially
phase-in 4,000 homes, two school
sites and commercial development
over the next 40 years.
Rather than vote on the requested
annex and rezone for the proj
ect, the Arcade City Council opted
Monday to table the matter for next
month to allow extra time to study
the ability to provide services to
the proposed “Arcade Meadows”
development.
The council didn’t discuss the
matter further before tabling its
decision.
Consultants for Walton Georgia
LLC and Walton International
Group — the developers of the pro
posed Arcade Meadows — made a
presentation to the council during
a public hearing over the requested
rezone and annexation.
“Arcade Meadows is a project
whose goal is to create an innova
tive and sustainable development
that highlights the unique envi
ronmental characteristics of this
particular site,” said Jeff Rice of
Stantec Consulting, the design team
for Walton.
The development would encom
pass 1,604 acres along Hwy.
129, Holiday Cemetery Road. B.
Whitfield Road and 4W Farm Road.
Plans for Arcade Meadows include
a city center, a commercial cen
ter (with opportunities for office,
research and retail facilities) and
multiple housing options “to satisfy
an entire life cycle,” Rice said.
The proposed development
would also include a multi-mobile
transportation network, 417 acres
of greenway, parks and trails and
even schools.
According to a report submitted to
the Arcade Planning Commission,
this proposal addresses the impact
on existing road networks, util
ities and schools through “road
improvements, installation of a
sewage treatment plant and cre
ation of two new schools within the
development.”
The developers would have to
purchase water from the City of
Arcade.
Walton projects a 2014 start
date to build homes. The maxi
mum home build-out is 4,000 units.
Commercial development would
start in 2016 potentially.
The 4-W Farms tract in Arcade
makes up about 1,200 acres of this
proposed subdivision. Walton is
Arcade Meadows
The breakdown:
Over 40 years, beginning in
2014, the proposed 1,600-
acre development could
include:
•4,000 homes
• two school sites
• city center &
commercial developments
•417-acre greenway
•roads and infrastructure
asking the city to annex approxi
mately 366 additional acres for
this development and then rezone
the entire 1,604-acre section to a
planned community development
zoning.
The Arcade Planning Commission
recommended approval for the proj
ect with conditions. One of those
conditions include the stipulation
that the developer purchase water
from the city.
One resident spoke against
Arcade Meadows Monday. Dr.
Bruce Hollett, who noted that a
similar but smaller proposal came
before Arcade six years ago. voiced
concern over the long-term effects
a subdivision this size may have on
water, law enforcement and traffic.
“There was a comment made at
the last meeting that it’s bound to
happen, it’s going to happen, some
thing is going to happen,” Hollett
said. “I don’t know if you want this
or not realizing that you’re signing
on your grandchildren’s future.”
Rice said those are natural con
cerns but contended that studies
were performed addressing these
issues. He also noted that this proj
ect is phased.
“So as those phases come in, the
improvements are made on a time
basis based on market-driven con
ditions and the development pro
cess itself — similar to the needs
of say the police and other compo
nents.” he said.
Rice added, “It’s phased. It’s not
a project that you go in and clear
1,600 acres and start trying to put
up masses of houses.”
County officials attend ACCG
legislative leadership conference
JACKSON COUNTY
Commissioners joined their
counterparts and other county
representatives from across the
state at the annual Legislative
Leadership Conference hosted
by the Association County
Commissioners of Georgia
(ACCG).
The 2011 Legislative
Leadership Conference provid
ed commissioners with train
ing in economic development,
state and federal relations, pub
lic safety, tax policy, human
resources, criminal justice and
illegal immigration reform and
more.
In addition to training,
attendees voted on the 2011-
2012 ACCG County Platform,
which includes policy positions
and legislative priorities for the
2012 legislative session. They
also heard from keynote speak
er, Hank Huckaby, chancellor
of the University System of
Georgia Board of Regents, who
spoke about the link between
higher education and future
individual and community
competitiveness.
“Our conferences are
designed to bring county offi
cials together to learn about
issues that could impact their
community and to learn from
their peers,” said ACCG
Executive Director Ross King.
County officials also had
an opportunity to talk to rep
resentatives from ACCG’s
insurance and retirement pro
grams. In addition, ACCG’s
preferred partners including
Dell, Enterprise, Gas South,
FivePoint Solutions and
Verizon, highlighted discount
ed products and services avail
able to counties and county
employees.
YATES RECOGNIZED
Commissioner Bruce Yates
YATES RECOGNIZED
Commissioner Bruce
Yates received a certifi
cate of completion for the
Commissioners Standard
of Excellence Sessions.
The training program
is offered by ACCG in
conjunction with the
Carl Vinson Institute
of Government at the
University of Georgia
and provides courses
throughout the year.
received a certificate of com
pletion for the Commissioners
Standard of Excellence Sessions.
This professional training
program is offered by ACCG
in conjunction with the Carl
Vinson Institute of Government
at the University of Georgia
and provides county officials
courses throughout the year.
“The ACCG provides me
with foundational information
in topics ranging from finance,
human resources and ethics
to other diverse public policy
issues and allows me to learn
from the experiences of my
peers.” said Yates.
Alcohol license approved by BOC in 3-2 vote
Holly Springs resident speaks in opposition to request
BY ANGELA GARY
IN A 3-2 vote, the Jackson
County BoardofCommissioners
approved an alcohol license for
Our Store, located at 5241 Holly
Springs Road. Pendergrass. An
area resident spoke in opposi
tion to the request and presented
a petition with the signatures of
250 people against the action.
Commissioners Tom Crow
and Dwain Smith voted against
approving the alcohol license,
while Hunter Bicknell, Chas
Hardy and Brace Yates voted in
favor of the motion.
Yates made the motion for
approval and pointed out that
the request meets all require
ments and the proposal meets
the land use map classification
for the area.
“This is a great indication
of how important our land use
map is and how important it
is for our community to get
involved in the land use map,”
Yates said. “When we created
maps, we never had 250 people
come to us. When you set out
the plan, you set out in front of
the commission the wishes of
the community. I urge citizens
to become more involved in
their land use map and their
government.”
County attorney Julius Hulsey
added, “The commission does
not have any discretion because
the applicant complied with all
of the objective criteria in the
ordinance.”
Speaking out against the
request was Holly Springs resi
dent, Sonny Cheatham, who
said selling beer and wine at the
store would change the com
munity.
“We don’t think that (beer
and wine) belongs in our area,”
Cheatham said. “We’ve had
three stores in our area and none
of them sold beer and wine...
We really don’t need it. What
benefit is this for our communi
ty—to have beer and wine sold
in our area. It will be a watering
hole for trouble. We don’t need
that in our community.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the BOC:
•heard from Yates that he will
host a town hall meeting at 7
p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10, at
the Hoschton Depot.
•heard from Yates about a
complaint he heard from a citi
zen who questioned why some
Jefferson area residents don’t
pay a fire tax. Yates said he
looked into this and found that
taxes are not being paid on
152 parcels, totaling $22 mil
lion. He said it appeared that
plans were to create a central
county fire district for this area
but no action was ever taken
to do this.
•met Sam Ingram, the new
county extension agent. He
will begin work with the
county on Nov. 1, replacing
Mark Shirley, who has retired.
“I’m eager to get started here,”
he said. “Nov. 1 can’t come
soon enough. I’m excited to
be here.”
•agreed to accept a $843,607
grant award from the Georgia
Department of Community
Affairs for the neighborhood
stabilization program. This
program will allow the county
to rehabilitate foreclosures
and place first-time home-
buyers with the help of Home
Development Resources, a
non-profit organization that
will carry out the management
agreement.
BOC considers drug/mental health court
BYANGELA GARY
THE JACKSON County Board of
Commissioners is considering establishing a
drag court and mental health court.
Superior Court judge Currie Mingledorff
presented the request and said the courts
would serve as “accountability courts.”
“We see the same people over and over
again with drag arrests because we have
not been able to redirect them from drag
addiction to something more productive,”
Mingledorff said.
The BOC will vote on the request when
it meets at 6 p.m. on Monday at the court
house. The budget would be $70,000. The
county also received a $25,000 grant to help
get this program established.
At the work session meeting this week,
Mingledorff spoke on his experiences with
the Hall County drag court, which offers
drag treatment, group therapy and random
drag screenings. The offenders meet every
two weeks with court officials, have a cur
few and pay $150 a month fee for court
costs.
BOC chairman Hunter Bicknell said there
would be benefits to the taxpayers and the
people in the program.
Commissioner Ton Crow added, “I sup
port this 100 percent. I think it is long past
due.”
ALSO ON THE AGENDA
The BOC also discussed several more
items that will be on the agenda for a vote
at the meeting on Monday, including the
following:
•renewing the agreement with the State
Personnel Administration for services relat
ed to the county’s drug and alcohol testing
program.
•approval of the public safety radio
upgrade project and authorizing the public
safety director to implement the program.
•approval of an agreement with Pittman
Construction to extend the contract for the
Hog Mountain Road project by 95 days.
Dinner, auction
to raise funds for
historic courthouse
THE JACKSON County Historic
Courthouse Restoration Committee
will host a Historic Courthouse
Heritage Celebration with a dinner
and auction fundraiser to be held
from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at
the Jefferson Civic Center.
The menu will consist of dishes
enjoyed in 1908, and a program will
include a report on the restoration
progress, as well as future goals.
There will be opportunities to bid
on old and new items related to the
historic courthouse.
Tickets are $35 each or $245 for a
table of eight.
For information, call 706-621-0489
or email cmealor@uga.edu.
New voters
cards to be
mailed out
NEW VOTER cards reflect
ing the redistricting changes
have been mailed out.
Voters should replace their
old card with the new card
after carefully inspecting
them.
If anyone has any ques
tions, call the voter registra
tion office at 706-367-6377.
Please Recycle
This Newspaper!
Don’t Be Left Out In The Cold...
Our Heating System Safety Inspection & Precision Tune-Up
Guarantees A Trouble Free Winter...Or It’s FREE
OFFER ENDS OCTOBER 31!
Safety Inspection, Precision
Tune-Up & Maintenance Agreement
ONLY
v highland;
HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING
Commercial • Residential • Service • Installation
706.215.0333