Lyman Hall
Elementary's
nearly $18M
expansion
is moving
along.
REGION, 8C
Lula’s new Mexican-American
restaurant focuses on breakfast
and lunch, life, ib
Weekend Edition - JANUARY 12-13,20241 $2.001 GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA I gainesvilletimes.com
Gainesville High’s Zion Ferguson
settling in as early enrollee for
football at University of North
Carolina, sports, ic
Honestly Local
Hall fire official says she was demoted as a ‘scapegoat’
BY NICK WATSON
AND BEN ANDERSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
banderson@gainesvilletimes.com
Two weeks into a 90-day per
formance improvement plan for
her work as the training division
chief for Hall County Fire Res
cue, Krystal Wilson-Britt met
with her staff near the end of
June to make them aware.
While facing heightened
scrutiny after 10 recruits failed
the National EMT Registry test,
Wilson-Britt learned during this
meeting of rumors that former
Deputy Chief Tim Woodward
and EMS Division Chief Chris
tie Grice were having an affair.
Woodward was overseeing
Wilson-Britt's performance
improvement plan and had
assigned Grice as her formal
mentor that reported back to
him, according to documents
obtained by The Times in an
open records request.
That performance improve
ment plan and later confirma
tion of the interoffice affair
would spiral into Grice and
Woodward being suspended,
demotions for multiple people
in leadership and the ultimate
resignations of both Wood
ward and Fire Chief Chris
Armstrong.
See Fire 14A
Wilson-Britt
‘It’s a game-changer’
Scott Rogers The Times
Yassine Elabdi, left, and Kayli Moody of Habitat for Humanity North Central Georgia Georgia, tour Elabdi’s new home
Thursday, Jan. 11, still under construction in Forsyth County.
Chipode has
plans for store
in Oakwood
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Chipotle Mexican Grill is taking over an
old bank building in Oakwood.
Plans are underway for the California-
based restaurant chain to take over space
once occupied by BB&T at 3453 Mundy
Mill Road, across from QuikTrip conve
nience store.
A site plan provided by Oakwood shows
an outdoor patio area, a drive-thru and access
off Curt Lance Way.
Plans have been approved by a city com
mittee overseeing design standards for main
corridors in the city, “and we are waiting for
their development and building plans for
review,” said Dan Schultz, Oakwood's com
munity development director.
“Aside from development and building
reviews, this was the last approval needed for
the development to move forward,” he said.
See Chipotle 13A
53 townhomes
are proposed
behind YMCA
Habitat for Humanity builds home for family amid housing crisis
BY BEN ANDERSON
banderson@gainesvilletimes.com
Yassine Elabdi and his
family didn't plan on rent
ing an apartment long term
when they emigrated from
Morocco, but rampant
inflation and rising hous
ing costs have stalled their
dreams of becoming home-
owners — until now.
In April, the 36-year-old,
his wife and 4-year-old
daughter will move into a
new home built by Habi
tat for Humanity of North
Central Georgia, a non
profit organization dedi
cated to building affordable
homes for families in need,
in partnership with Atlanta-
based AquaGuard Founda
tion Solutions, a company
that specializes in founda
tion repair.
The home isn't free, but
Elabdi will receive a mort
gage with 0% interest and
pay considerably less than
he is paying now to rent his
apartment in Alpharetta.
Listed under a Gaines
ville address but located
just across the county line
in Forsyth County, the
two-story, three-bedroom,
two-bathroom home will
cost him just over $1,100 a
month — significantly less
than the $1,500 he is pay
ing now in rent.
Habitat for Humanity
has purchased 14 lots on
Crystal Cove Trail to build
homes for families just like
Elabdi’s.
With an appraised value
of about $300,000, the
home will go a long way
in allowing Elabdi, who
works at Costco, to build
wealth.
“It's a game-changer,”
Elabdi said. “It's a lot of
help. ... I cannot afford
high (interest) rates.”
The house will also
be energy efficient, said
Ellis Leslie, construction
manager for Habitat for
Humanity of North Central
Georgia.
“It's all about affordabil
ity,” Leslie said. “There’s
so little affordable housing
in this country being built
now. ... It’s nice to be help
ing out people who prob
ably aren't going to be able
to afford a house any other
way.”
See Habitat 14A
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
A 53-townhome development is pro
posed off White Sulphur Road behind the
Georgia Mountains YMCA off Ga. 365 in
Gainesville.
Atlanta-based CMWB Company LLC is
proposing the homes on 12 acres at 2554
White Sulphur Road, north of YMCA Drive
and also near Ramsey Circle.
“Market demand at the time of develop
ment will indicate whether the develop
ment will be for rent or for sale,” according
to a narrative in Hall County planning
documents.
No amenities, such as a pool or play
ground, are planned, but the development
would have “ample open space” for resi
dents to use, according to documents.
See Townhome 13A
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