Thursday, October 31, 2013

Student Housing Complex Under Construction On Macon Highway Just Inside Oconee County

Was Puritan Place

Athens student housing is spilling over into Oconee County with the construction of the high-density Athens Ridge residential complex just inside the county line on old Macon Highway at White Oak Road.

Zoned for multi-family residential development, Athens Ridge is labeled a townhome and residential condominium development on county site development plans. Those plans show 190 dwelling units on just more than 35 acres of land on McNutt Creek just before it reaches the Middle Oconee River.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Deed Transfers Oconee County Campbell Center Land To University of Georgia

25 Year Protection

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia recorded deed documents in the Superior Court of Oconee County late last month officially transferring 1,055 acres that had been part of the J. Phil Campbell Sr. Natural Resource Conservation Center from the United States Department of Agriculture to the University of Georgia.

As a condition of acceptance, the state agreed to “use the property for agricultural and natural resources research for a minimum of 25 years,” guaranteeing that the acreage will not be developed before 2038.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Developers Preparing Two Nearby Sites Along Oconee Connector In Northern Oconee County

Sewer Upgrades In Future

Developers are preparing two sites roughly a mile apart on the Oconee Connector near its intersection with SR 316.

The Oconee County Planning Department has issued a grading permit and approved the preliminary site plan for Georgia Skin Cancer and Aesthetic Dermatology at the corner of the Oconee Connector and Virgil Langford Road north of SR 316.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Eight Oconee County Farmers Attend Meeting On Farmland Protection

Page Featured Presenter

Eight farmers turned out last Thursday night for a meeting at the Cooperative Extension Service to learn about the county’s efforts to find farms for its farmland protection program.

The program was chaired by C. Monte Stephens, county agriculture and natural resources extension agent, but the featured presenters were Russ Page and Laura Hall.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Athens-Clarke County and Oconee County Dealing With Old Waste Pit Under New Orkin Drive

Cracks and Buckles

Engineers have discovered an old waste pit deep beneath the highway leading to the new Caterpillar plant requiring Athens-Clarke and Oconee County to rebuild the roadway in coming months.

The reconstruction will require closing of some lanes of the four-lane roadway for about two weeks.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Permits Issued For SportClips and Carter’s In Oconee County’s Epps Bridge Centre

Now 90 Percent Leased

Oconee County Code Enforcement issued a permit last week for build out of 1,200 square feet of space at Epps Bridge Centre for SportClips, a haircut salon chain based in Texas.

Earlier this month Code Enforcement issued an interior permit for 4,485 square feet of space for childrens clothing store Carter’s.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Oconee County Planning Commission To Take Up Rezone Requests for A Wedding Hall And A Church

Reception In Barn

The Oconee County Planning Commission tomorrow night is scheduled to review an application for a business zone on farmland on Snows Mill Road near the Apalachee River and an application for a special use permit for a neighborhood church on Lenru Road near Triple Creek Subdivision.

Barton Cartey of 2531 Snows Mill Road is asking the county to rezone just less than two acres of land in an area that is predominantly zoned for agricultural and residential uses so he can continue to operate a wedding hall and reception hall on his property, as he has done for approximately a year.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Oconee County Patch Site Now Being Edited From Athens

Gross No Longer Editor

The Oconee Patch web site is now fully under the editorial control of Rebecca McCarthy, editor of the Athens Patch site.

Stephanie Gross, who has edited the Oconee site since shortly after its launch in December of 2010, ended her association with Patch on Tuesday.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Oconee County, Athens-Clarke County Investigating Cracks In New Roadway To Caterpillar Plant

Oconee County and Athens-Clarke County officials are trying to figure out what to do about large cracks that have appeared in Orkin Drive, the major entranceway to the new Caterpillar plant near Bogart.

The roadway problems have occurred at a particularly inopportune time, as Caterpillar is planning a Grand Opening Celebration of its facility for the morning of Oct. 31.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Oconee County Commissioners Approved Lease For Space in Government Annex But Not Bids For Renovation

Unusual Procedure

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners approved two bids last Tuesday night, one for $17,000 and another for $52,562.

The action was routine. County Finance Director Wes Geddings presented the six submitted bids to the Board with a recommendation at the Sept. 24 agenda-setting meeting.

Monday, October 07, 2013

Verizon Wireless Told Oconee County It Wants To Postpone Decision On Cell Tower Request

Reconsider Options

Verizon Wireless has told county officials it will ask for a postponement of a decision on its request to put a 190-foot cell tower on farmland near the Eastville community.

The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to take up the request for a special use permit for the cell tower at its meeting tomorrow night, but Jennifer Blackburn, attorney for Verizon Wireless, told Oconee County Planner Brad Callender on Wednesday afternoon that she would like to defer the decision.

Sunday, October 06, 2013

Commissioners To Address Oconee County Cell Tower Request by Verizon At Tuesday Meeting

Tower Number 28

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to decide Tuesday evening if Verizon Wireless can place a cell tower on farmland near the Eastville community over the objections of at least some residents in the area.

Three people spoke against the issuance of a special use permit for the cell tower at the Planning Commission meeting on Sept. 16. They were joined by about a dozen fellow citizens in the audience and said they expected others would have spoken out had they known about the plans for the cell tower.