Councilman Craig Lutz, joined by Chris Fetterman, said he isn't opposed to a historic district but the boundaries are too wide, the map is too big and support came mostly from Main Street merchants.
"It was obvious after listening to the public comments that there is a large groundswell of people in the district that don't want to be in the district," Lutz said. "The map encompasses too many people and should be reduced to capture the areas that really are truly historic in our area."
Flowery Branch Better Hometown Director Dinah Wayne is also on the Historic Preservation Commission, and said the city needs the district to save its vintage structures from modern encroachment.
She added the Historic Preservation Division of the state Department of Natural Resources guided the commission to choose the boundaries.
The vote was 3-2 to approve the district boundaries with council members Mary Jones, Pat Zalewski and Allen Bryans voting for the boundaries ordinance on second reading.
HOTEL MOTEL TAX
City Council gave first reading approval to the city's first hotel/motel tax with construction underway on the new Hampton Inn off Spout Springs Road.
City Manager Bill Andrew said the city's 3 percent share of the 5 percent tax on 84 hotel rooms at 60 percent occupancy would go into the general fund, but would be earmarked for hotel access improvements.
"If the hotel is laying the 'golden egg' then we want to keep the goose happy, and that's the hotel," Andrew said.
Andrew estimated a yearly $66,000 total annual revenue from the tax, with 2 percent of it going to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Main Street, Flowery Branch
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/8/212546