Sunday, March 26, 2017

Oconee County Issued Two Occupancy Permits For Falls Of Oconee Commercial Complex

Gourmet Food Store Opening

The Oconee County Code Enforcement Office on Friday issued occupancy permits for two tenants of The Falls of Oconee commercial complex on Old Macon Highway at McNutt Creek.

The permits were for The Olive Basket, a gourmet food store, and PT Solutions, a physical therapy facility.

One of the owners of the Olive Basket was moving into the storefront on Saturday, and the PT Solutions space already was partially occupied.

The issuance of the permits comes more than three years after the county’s Development Review Committee gave first consideration to the plans for the five-building complex opposite the Athens Ridge student housing complex.

Work on another phase of the project, between Athens Ridge and Falls of Oconee, also is underway.

Buildout Permits

The county late last year issued 10 buildout permits for storefronts in three of the four buildings at The Falls of Oconee. The project takes its name from the falls on McNutt Creek over a historic mill pond dam, visible from the complex.

Falls Of Oconee 3/25/2017

One of those buildout permits was for The Olive Basket, previously located at 297 Prince Avenue in Athens.

Another was for PT Solutions, a physical therapy practice currently located in Kennesaw.

The third identified tenant was Lodge Management, with Derek Lodge listed as the owner. Lodge gives his address as 8771 Macon Highway, Suite B.

Strategic Holdings

In May of last year the Board of Commissioners rezoned 10 acres across Macon Highway from The Falls of Oconee and in front of Athens Ridge to allow for a drive-through restaurant and construction office.

Land planner Ken Beall, of Beall and Company, working for developer Strategic Holdings, told the Board that the office building would be used by Value Added Concepts LLC, 8771 Macon Highway.

Kelly Mahoney is the registered agent for Value Added Concepts and also represented Strategic Holdings of Madison in the rezone process.

Kelly also was developer of Athens Ridge and of The Falls of Oconee.

Fifth Building

The Development Review Committee, made up of representative of county departments affected by development, examined the plans for The Falls of Oconee early in 2014.

The shells of four of the buildings at The Falls of Oconee already have been constructed, including one with dramatic views of the mill dam and falls.

Promotional materials indicate that the complex will include restaurants as well as commercial outlets.

Plans for the fifth building at The Falls of Oconee have been designated as Phase II of the project. Value Added Concepts presented those plans to the DRC in January.

5 comments:

Let'sGoOconee said...

That curve on Macon Highway is treacherous, and a ridiculous location for a drive through fast food establishment. Good luck to those making a left turn out of there during morning or afternoon rush hour. The college students from Athens Ridge already make that area an adventure to drive through.

Ken Beall also helped push through the Bojangles and other to be named business directly across from the entrance to Oconee Primary & Elementary, despite the Sheriff's objection, and a 9-1 vote against by the Planning Commission. That's one of the most congested locations in the county during morning or afternoon rush hour.

Mr. Beall: How many fast food establishments in high traffic areas does Oconee County need??? Gwinnett County-lite we are becoming.

Anonymous said...

Beall doesnt care about the impact on the county as long as he is lining his pockets.

Xardox said...

Plan to see Mr. Beall's name, and the rest of that cadre of The Favored Few with
their eyes dead set on building out this county, become even more familiar.
The single entrance of this particular project, and the tremendous density within shouting distance on the curves and bridges are fire and other emergency nightmare.
Drive-through fast food in high-clog areas. Two- and three-story apartment complexes.
Shy-rocketing influx of new citizens. Schools stressed. Volunteer fire department.
The looming crisis of growth pressure is suddenly here. Citizens have a big decision to make.
Shall there be what has the appearance of unfettered building willy-nilly?
Will citizens now here push back on the tidal wave of growth perched to hit?
Either way, this is the year we've been talking about for 35 years.

Anonymous said...

Is seems that money is the driving force behind all decisions today above all others. Unfortunately, Mr. Beall is just doing what is best for himslf and his company and the people that hired him.
It is up to the Commissioners to decide what our county is going to look like in the future and their decisions will determine the type of people that want to call Oconee home in the future.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully we will see another recession soon. I see the signs stating 100% financing are plentiful once again. It will repeat itself.