GAINESVILLE — After hearing from area residents concerned about the possible development of a Dollar General Store at a busy northwest Hall County intersection, the county planning commission said "no" to the project at a Monday evening meeting at the Hall County Government Center.
More than two dozen residents showed up at the meeting to speak out against the project, proposed for the corner of Ledan and Sardis Roads. About half of those took a turn at the microphone, telling commission members they worried the Dollar General would bring down property values and would increase traffic in the already-congested area.
Beth Swenson, a resident of Walnut Springs subdivision on Sardis Road, told planning commissioners that she had children who attend schools in the area and traffic was already a headache each weekday afternoon. She brought a photo to share and said the crowded intersection was not the place for commercial development.
"On Friday, September 25 I snapped a photo of just the standard traffic...this was me leaving the high school [Chestatee High School] with my two high schoolers," said Swenson. "It's worth noting that the middle school [Chestatee Academy] had not released yet nor had the buses released."
Area resident James Sullivan told the board he felt the project was premature, given the Hall County Commission's recent approval of an engineering study for the roadway. Part of the plan might be a roundabout for the Ledan-Sardis intersection.
"I hate for us as taxpayers to allow a rezoning and then come in and have to spend big bucks [if a roundabout is built] to abolish a parking lot that then ruins the store," said Sullivan.
Bobby Howard of Cartersville, with development company Hibbymo Properties, told the planning commission he had been unaware of discussion of a roundabout for the intersection. He also noted that traffic was congested in the area, but he said that could be easily remedied with either a traffic light or even a law enforcement officer directing traffic when schools are dismissed.
Howard also tried to ease the worries of other residents who said a Dollar General Store might impact property values, telling the audience his company had bought a 10+ acre tract of land at the intersection, but only planned to use 2.83 acres for the store. The rest of the property could be sold for residential property, he said.
While the Hall County planning staff had recommended approval of the project with conditions, the Hall County Planning Commission sided with opponents of the project, agreeing that traffic concerns and uncertainty about the future of the roads was enough reason to vote down the idea.
The project now goes before the Hall County Commission on October 22.
