Sunday, May 08, 2016

Auto Dealerships Proposed For Commercial Development On SR 316 Near Oconee Connector

Staff Review Not Complete

The owner of nearly 30 acres on the south side of SR. 316 just west of Virgil Langford Road is seeking to rezone the land from agricultural use to business and to develop the land for auto dealerships and related commercial service-oriented businesses.

Elaine Duckett Crane of Mineral Bluff in north Georgia filed an application for the zoning change on April 20.

She is joined in the rezone request by Lela Mae Moore Slaton, who owns just less than 3 acres at 1050 Jimmy Daniell Road.

Slaton, according to the rezone narrative, will sell part of that tract to the future developers to give the project access to Jimmy Daniell Road.

Williams and Associates Land Planners of 2470 Daniells Bridge Road in Oconee County is acting as the agent for the developer, identified in the rezone application only as TT of Athens.

Scheduled Review

The project is scheduled to be before the Oconee County Planning Commission on May 16 and before the Oconee County Board of Commissioners on June 7. The Planning Staff has not yet completed its review of the project.

Signs On Virgil Langford Road

The project will be on commercial sewer, and the rezone narrative states that 7,940 gallons per day of treatment capacity will be needed.

Oconee County Utility Department Director Wayne Haynie told Williams and Associates in March that “Water and sewer capacity currently exists for the location and project including its generally stated sewer uses.”

Haynie said the estimated sewer level of 7,940 gallons per day “must be confirmed” before the issuance of any permits. Haynie has said repeatedly in recent months that sewer capacity in the county is “tight.”

Lots For Sale

According to the narrative, lots within the development will be for sale to individual new car dealerships or others interested in related businesses.

The project will have multiple buildings totally 160,767 square feet in size and will be built in phases.

Click To Enlarge

A single lot and related infrastructure will make up the first phase. Construction on that initial part of the project is expected to begin in early 2017.

Access to the project will be via a private drive connecting Jimmy Daniell Road and Virgil Langford Road.

The project includes upgrades to Virgil Langford Road.

Land To Be Cleared

Multiple existing homes are on the site, according to the narrative. Tax records list two homes on the main parcels. All existing structures will be demolished, according to the application.

The site also contains two wetlands. According to the narrative, the developers have submitted documents to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine mitigation requirements.

The developers also are seeking a special exception variance from the county’s Unified Development Code.

The variance would eliminate the requirement of a 50-foot-buffer between the project and adjacent land.

The overall project is valued in the narrative at $40 million.

8 comments:

Caroline said...

Guess this means more congestion. Wonder what basis this could be denied or does that ever happen here?

Xardox said...

I have seen some denials when reasonable opposition presents clear reasons backed by bodies (= votes).
This one may be tough because of the current future development plan, promise of more tax base, and Big Money.
1. Being on the south side of 316 and west side of Virgil Langford means a whole new intersection since Langford does not continue across 316.
2. Until the crossing is upgrades, traffic will be in-bound, Mars Hill and Virgil Langford will be a mess.
3. There goes the neighborhood. The surroundings are office/professional.

Xardox said...

4. They want a variance, of course.

Anonymous said...

TT of Athens is an AMSI automotive entity. This is Terry Taylor's automotive group. They currently have the Ford and Merc-Benz/Nissan/VW dealerships. Very large Automotive Group with holdings throughout the southeast and other areas.

Anonymous said...

Who transports the birds and animals from the destroyed wetlands to the new mitigated wetlands? How about the migratory wildlife, do they get maps to the new location?
A variance so they can clear cut and pave right to the edge. Where will the runoff of 30 acres of pavement go?

Anonymous said...

We are now officially Gwinnett County-lite.

Guess Mark Saxon and Mark Thomas happy. More mindless development; we'll be the new strip mall capital of Georgia.

People live in Oconee for the great school system and the fact we still have farms and open space.

If the Board of Commissioner and Industrial Development Authority get their way, we'll be just another ugly, poor planned faceless county.

Sad, but the voters here don't ask questions of elected officials, let alone hold them accountable for their behind closed door dealings.

Anonymous said...

I have heard rumors of behind closed door dealings but no proof. If that were the case and some kind of "swap" occurs (your vote for....), then jail it should be.
Can we wake voters up to hold elected officials accountable especially if they say they are for slower growth but they keep approving more development and variance requests?

Anonymous said...

If you wanted farm life you should have moved to the south end of the county. Oh wait, there use to be cattle and poultry farms but your neighborhood destroyed that. Before Fieldstone and Canyon Creek were built that land was home to cattle along with 20 chicken houses within 2 miles of those developments.
A true wetlands job is to purify the waters surrounding a river, stream or body of water. Beavers where the source of one and the other was caused by a dried up pond. Also, run off from 316 is another cause. Any wildlife that was in that area has long been roadkill.
Every person has a right to speak to members of the board via email, phone or by making an appt. to speak face to face.How is that unethical? Instead of trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill, let your concerns be heard like the other party did.