Lula is one of North Hall’s fastest-growing areas as the region prepares to host the inland port off Ga. 365.
In Lula, city leaders are looking at a potential development worth $300 million that would generate almost $3.3 million in annual local taxes.
That’s according to a Development of Regional Impact review by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
It’s not clear yet if that proposed Inland 365 Business Center development will be inside the city or remain just outside its corporate limits.
Currently, the property is in unincorporated Hall County.
“It’s the property over on Lula Road – Burton Drive goes by the post office and runs into Lula Road,” said Lula Mayor Joe Thomas. “It’s the property between there and the expressway. I think CBD investments owns it.”
Thomas said City Manager Dennis Bergin anticipates hearing from the developers with their plans soon.
“They’re fixing to come to us with something,” Thomas said. “We thought, at first, they were going to combine residential and commercial development, but Dennis said they’ve come back in and it’s probably just commercial. So, they’re probably going to want to annex into the city so they can get sewer more than anything else.”
“It’s 202 acres,” Bergin said. “They propose as many as 512 units. There are three different phases, which would suggest three different price points and three different lot sizes – a significant amount in an acreage of 202. I looked today to see what Hall County just approved. I think 53 units and they suggested that was 13-plus acres. In reality, when you take the net amount of acreage, it becomes a lot less and that's the same challenge we're going to see here.”
One conceptual plan mentioned by the developer would request a change in Burton Drive to end in cul-de-sacs rather than remaining as a through road. But so far nothing has been submitted, much less decided.
“I’m not sure exactly what they’re going to want to do,” Thomas said. “Right now, Burton Lane is a little two-lane road, cuts through that property and like you heard Dennis say, they’re proposing closing both ends. Closing it off and making a dead-end on both ends from both directions. Right now, that’s a pass-through from downtown to Lula Road unless you want to go down to the 52 at 51 intersection.”
http://accesswdun.com/article/2022/8/1126113/lula-area-may-get-202-acre-commercial-development