GAINESVILLE – The Hall County Commission will decide the fate of a pair of development projects Thursday evening when it hears arguments for and against rezoning and amended zoning.
1 - The first of the two applications to be considered involves plans by Forestar (USA) Real Estate Group to construct a 192-lot single-family subdivision on 96.44-acres along Poplar Springs Road at its intersection with Poplar Springs Church Road.
In early November the Hall County Planning Commission unanimously recommended the rezoning application for approval with eight conditions. That night seven area residents spoke in opposition to the rezoning application.
2 - The second building project involves two separate applications that adjoin one anther along Thompson Bridge Road at its intersection with Price Road.
Fuqua Acquisitions is seeking to amend the existing zoning (Planned Commercial Development) on 14.28-acres across from Walnut Grove Way so as to construct 84,362-square feet of commercial retail space including a top-tier national grocery store, rumored but unconfirmed, as a Publix Supermarket.
On October 18th the Planning Commission gave a unanimous recommendation for approval to the application but not before attaching eleven conditions. There was no public comment for or against the application at that meeting.
That same evening an application from The Revive Land Group was heard by the Planning Commission to rezone 44.23-acres immediately adjacent to Fuqua’s site from PCD to Planned Residential Development. If approved the applicant plans to construct 185-townhomes.
Revive Land Group’s rezoning request received recommendation for approval but with a 4-1 split vote as Commissioner Gina Pilcher voted against the application as presented. A total of eight conditions were attached to the recommendation for approval. Two area residents spoke in opposition to the rezoning at that meeting
The public is welcome to attend the meeting and make comment on these and other zoning related applications on the agenda. The voting session begins at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 9, in the Gainesville Civic Center.
SARDIS CONNECTOR PROJECT AND ASBESTOS
The long-anticipated Sardis Road Connector is in the final stages of right-of-way acquisition, but thirteen of the sites obtained by the county have structures on them that will need to be demolished with added caution.
That’s because those houses are of a vintage that asbestos could be contained within their walls and as a precaution Hall County is contracting with SACAL Environmental of Macon, Georgia, to handle any needed asbestos mitigation before the buildings are razed.
Public Works Director Srikanth Yamala said after Monday’s Hall County Commission work session, “We are acquiring these 158-parcels and out of 158 we have thirteen bad apples that need to be cleaned up before we can turn them over.”
The cost to have the asbestos abatement process completed is $876,441.80. Once all 158-parcels of right-of-way have been safely acquired, Hall County will be transferring those properties to the Georgia Department of Transportation and construction on the 3.5-mile bypass connecting Dawsonville Highway with Thompson Bridge Road will begin. Estimates are that transfer of property will take place in the summer of 2022.
