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20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS
The Commerce News
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 $1.00 COPY
Jefferson
Jefferson eyeing larger homes, larger lots in land use plan
But national
trends show
declining demand
for such housing as
Boomers downsize
andyounger
people look to rent
By Mike Buffington
mike@mainstreetnews. com
Larger houses on larger
lots could be the outcome
of a pending update for the
City of Jefferson’s future
land use plan.
Proposed changes to the
city’s land use plan will go
before the city’s planning
commission and city coun
cil in August for public
hearings before going on to
the state for approval. The
move is an annual update
required by the state.
During a presentation to
the Jefferson City Council
on July 10, city planner Jer
ry Weitz said that both coun
cil members and the public
had previously voiced a de
sire to see less density in the
city’s housing. He said his
proposals in the update “are
designed to lower the over
all residential density where
such reduction is considered
appropriate from a land use
planning standpoint.”
Much of the focus of the
larger lots will be in the Jett
Roberts Rd. area and Holder
Siding Rd. area.
Weitz said that there are
currently 816 new housing
units in the works inside the
city and that by 2042, the
city’s population will top
20,000 people.
He said that national
trends show changing hous
ing trends as the nation’s
demographics evolve. Jef
ferson, he said, was some
thing of an anomaly com
pared to the national trends,
although those trends will
eventually impact the city
in the future.
Jefferson has a relatively
young population of young
families who are wealthier
than the surrounding area.
While national trends show
more younger people are
interested in renting rather
than buying a home, in Jef
ferson that’s not been the
case so far.
Still, Weitz warned that
the larger homes on larger
lots don’t match the national
trends where Baby Boomers
are downsizing and younger
generations are looking for
smaller houses as well.
“(The) existing homes
may not meet needs of fu
ture generations (lot size,
house size, location, etc.);
may wind up being a glut of
these types of homes,” said
Weitz’s report to the coun
cil.
He also said the trend
toward renting could also
someday affect Jefferson.
“(Renting) is a more de
sirable option for many
millennials because they
are concerned about eco
nomic insecurity,” said his
council report. “Younger
households increasingly are
choosing to rent; all of the
change in number of house
holds under 65 years will be
attributed to renting.”
See Jefferson, page 2A
Jefferson
Commerce
TREES DOWNED IN ‘MICROBURST’ IN JEFFERSON
A strong storm in Jefferson resulted in a number of damaged homes on Friday (July 7). Jackson County
Emergency Management Agency reported significant damage in the area of Mahaffey, Lawrenceville,
Hill and Elm streets, Mahaffey Circle and Clay Drive. EMA, the Jefferson Fire Department and Georgia
Emergency Management Agency worked over the weekend to assess the damage. A number of homes
were damaged by fallen trees, but no injuries were reported. The National Weather Service has called the
storm a “microburst.” A microburst is a downdraft in a thunderstorm that is less than 2.5 miles in scale,
according to the National Weather Service. The damage pictured here is on Mahaffey Circle.
Jackson County
An analysis: The housing conundrum
By Mike Buffington
mike@mainstreetnews. com
What should Jackson
County’s housing look
like?
That question is rapid
ly becoming a important
topic in the community as
local governments wrestle
with both a shortage of
affordable housing and a
desire to put some brakes
on rapid residential devel
opment.
Both the Jackson Coun
ty and City of Jefferson
MAILING LABEL
school systems have seen
a huge influx of students
that have put a strain on
the systems’ existing fa
cilities.
For its part, the county
school system has under
taken a large-scale build
ing programs with one
new school coming online
this fall and another slated
for next year. The system
is also looking to acquire
land for future school lo
cations, a prospect that
has become increasingly
expensive as land prices
have soared.
Jefferson is limited in
how much more it can
expand its current school
facilities on existing prop
erty. The system is ranked
as one of the best in the
state, something that has
become both a blessing
and a curse as young fam
ilies flock to the city so
their kids can attend the
system’s schools, putting
additional pressure on in
frastructure.
The impact on local
schools was one of the
reasons the Jackson Coun
ty Board of Commission
ers last year put a tempo
rary moratorium on new
residential developments
in the county. During the
moratorium, the county
created impact fees for
new residential projects,
but those fees won’t go to
the school systems. They
could, however, be used to
help pay for road upgrades
near school locations.
In Jefferson, city school
leaders have begun to
push back against new
residential developments
that would likely bring
additional children into
the school system. School
and community leaders
have encouraged the city
to slow residential growth
unless it’s for senior citi
zen communities, which
typically don’t bring
in school-age children.
There’s also been pressure
to only approve upscale,
expensive housing for new
developments.
Just this week, Jefferson
leaders heard a report that
city planners will propose
an updated land use plan
that calls for larger homes
on larger lots, a move that
is in response to the pres
sure to slow residential
growth in the city.
Despite public pressure,
Jefferson has approved
townhomes in recent
years, some of which are
See Housing, page 2A
This was the scene Monday evening following
an officer-involved shooting on Mt. Olive Rd. in
Commerce as the GBI began its independent in
vestigation of the incident.
Domestic dispute call
results in officer-involved
shooting in Commerce
Commerce police were
called to a domestic dis
pute on Monday, July 10,
that resulted in an offi
cer-involved shooting.
The man who was shot had
reportedly been swinging
around a machete and re
fused to drop it.
Officers were called to
for a domestic incident
on Mt. Olive Road around
5:15 p.m. When they ar
rived, a man was report
edly swinging a machete
around and refused to put
it down.
“When officers arrived,
a man was swinging a
machete type weapon
around,” according to a
Georgia Bureau of Inves
tigation news release. “Of
ficers gave verbal com
mands for him to put the
weapon down and he re
fused. Officers fired their
weapons and hit the man.
They rendered aid, and the
man was later taken to a
Gainesville hospital.”
The man’s current con
dition is unknown. He was
believed to be in critical
condition when he was
taken to the hospital.
No officers were injured
during the encounter.
The Georgia Bureau of
Investigation was called
to conduct an independent
investigation.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been
called to conduct an independent investigation
following an officer-involved shooting in Com
merce stemming from a domestic incident.
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