The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, April 03, 2024, Image 5
LOCAL The Times, Gainesville, Georgia lgainesvilletimes.com Midweek Edition-April 3-4, 2024 5A South Hall subdivision proposal tabled to April Editor’s note: This pub lished in a previous E-Paper edition and is being provided here for print-only readers. Final action on a proposed South Hall subdivision with ever-changing housing num bers was tabled to April 23. “It will be heard on April 23,” Hall County Com missioner Jeff Stowe at Thursday's Board of Com missioners meeting. “It's not getting tabled again.” The proposal was sched uled to be heard March 14 before it was tabled to the commission's March 28 meeting. Thompson, O'Brien, Kap- pler & Nasuti PC is seeking to rezone 117 acres off Guth, JM Turk and Stanley roads for 76 townhomes and 208 single-family homes. The number of homes started at 324 before it was whittled to 314, then later 284. The proposal has come under fire from residents, who have voiced concerns about impacts on traffic, quality of life and property values. The planning commission has recommended denial of the project. Jeff Gill Final tract of land secured for Sardis Road Connector Authorities: Child sexual abuse material found on man’s devices after a tip BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Editor’s note: This published in a previous E-Paper edition and is being provided here for print-only readers. With all the needed property in hand, the long-awaited Sardis Road Connector can move toward construction. The last holdout was 0.22 acres owned by Corinth Church at 3590 Thompson Bridge Road/Ga. 60. The Hall County Board of Commissioners voted Thursday, March 28, to buy it for about $ 1.9 million. “We are continuing to finalize the (right of way) certification packet that will be turned over to GDOT, as well as finalize the con struction plans,” Hall spokeswoman Joy Holmes said. The Georgia Department of Transportation “will certify the right of way and accept the site for roadway construction, and they will let (the project) and hopefully construction starts shortly afterward,” County Engineer Frank Miller has said. Justin Lott of GDOT told a Hall transporta tion planning committee in November that the project could go to bids in July. Road construction, costing about $48 mil lion, could take about two years to complete, officials have said. The project consists of widening and rebuilding several existing local roads with some new roadways, extending northward from Sardis at Chestatee to Mount Vernon Road at Ga. 60. The Mount Vernon Road/Ga. 60 intersection would be rebuilt as part of the work. The project would dodge a 2-acre cemetery off Mount Vernon Road, across from Corinth Church and next to a Kroger-anchored shop ping center. The Corinth property in the way of the con nector was an older part of the church cam pus — a yellowish brick building that houses a sanctuary believed to have been built in the 1940s. The current sanctuary is in a newer building. Its loss is more than sentimental. “If we're going to lose 17,000 square feet, we're going to have to build something back,” lead pas tor Chris Swan said in a November 2022 interview. Anticipating demolition in the wake of the planned new road, the church moved minis tries and other operations out of the old struc ture to other locations, including the newer main church building facing Mount Vernon Road. The shuffling made for cramped conditions. “Nobody has dedicated space,” Swan said in 2022. “Everything is shared.” Concerning the final agreement between the church and Hall County, “It's something that's going to work for both of us,” the pastor said Monday, April 1. “We are really happy to get it behind us. ... There have been so many people in the community who helped us navi gate this. They don’t have Eminent Domain 101 in seminaries.” The church is planning a new multipurpose building to replace the old one, which will be razed at some point. “We’re working with our long-range plan ning team and an architect to determine what the building will look like and where it will be,” Swan said. “I hope that within a year or so, we’ll be able to break ground.” BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com Editor’s note: This published in a previous E-Paper edition and is being provided here for print-only readers. A Gainesville man was arrested Thursday, March 28, after authori ties said they found images and videos of child sexual abuse material on his devices, according to the Hall County Sheriff's Office. Ryan Daniel Kinev, 38, was charged with four felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He was booked in to the Hall County Jail, where he remains with no bond. Acting on a tip, investigators searched a home on Lotheridge Road and seized several of Kinev's Editor’s note: This published in a previous E-Paper edition and is being provided here for print-only readers. An Alto man was sentenced to prison time from an April 2023 drive-by shooting after an argument at a Gaines ville McDonald's, according to court documents. Zachary Gee, 20, pleaded guilty March 11 to four counts of aggravated assault. Superior Court Judge Lindsay Burton sentenced Gee to 40 years with the first eight years in prison. The Hall County Sheriff's Office said the incident started around 10 p.m. April 17 at the Jesse Jewell Parkway McDonald's, where Gee got into an argument with another man. The Sheriff's Office said Gee struck the man in the head with a handgun, and the victim drove to his home on Smallwood Road. “Gee traveled to the victim's resi dence,” Sheriff's Office spokeswoman BJ Williams wrote in an email at the electronic devices. “At this point in the investigation, HCSO officials have found two images and two videos of children either being molested by adults or engaged in sexual acts with other chil dren,” the Sheriff's Office wrote in a news release. The Georgia Bureau of Investiga tion and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force are assisting the Sheriff's Office with the case, as additional charges are expected. Kinev was featured in an article in The Times last year about operating a 6-acre farmstead known as Dahlia Farm. time of Gee's arrest. “When other occu pants of the residence confronted him, Gee got into his vehicle and circled the neighbor hood. Gee fired mul tiple shots at the home as the car left the area.” No injuries were reported. The Times has reached out to the dis trict attorney's office for information on the preceding argument. The judge ordered for Gee to com plete the Reentry Accountability Court Transition program and if accepted attend the residential substance abuse treatment program. If Gee completes the accountability court program, he will not be required to perform 100 hours of community service nor will he undergo drug and alcohol testing. Gee was also ordered to pay $2,950 in fines and surcharges. Defense attorney Kyle Denslow declined to comment. Alto man gets sentenced for 2023 drive-by shooting BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com Kinev Gee Greater Hall CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BRING YOUR RESUME! 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