Oconee Commissioners Approve Rezones For Oconee Mercantile And Movement Of The Stone Store

***Commission Vote Split On U.S. 441 Multi-Use Project***

In well-organized and coordinated presentations to the Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday evening, citizens in neighborhoods abutting the proposed Oconee Mercantile project on U.S. 441 said how they had relied on past county zoning decisions to protect their homes.

The proposed multi-use commercial development and accompanying relocation of The Stone Store not only would adversely affect their residential neighborhoods, they said, but they also would be contrary to what the county had promised with its past zoning decisions.

Northeast Health District Added 252 New COVID-19 Cases, Pushing Up Again the Rolling Average Of Added Cases

***District Added Two Deaths***

With the addition of 252 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the seven-day rolling average of added cases increased in the Northeast Health District for the seventh day in a row.

The District added two confirmed deaths from the disease in the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report, and the seven-day rolling average of added deaths declined for the second day running.

Oconee County Board Of Commissioners To Decide On Move Of Stone Store And Planned Use Of Its Current Site

***Planning Commission Sends Mixed Recommendations***

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night likely will decide the future location of The Stone Store and, if the developers of the proposed U.S. 441 mixed-use project are to be believed, the viability of that project itself.

The Commissioners are scheduled to vote on a rezone request for just more than 23 acres on U.S. 441 across from the intersection of Hog Mountain Road as well as on a second related rezone and special use variance request for just less than six acres just north of that intersection.

Rolling Average Added COVID-19 Cases Continues To Increase In Northeast Health District

***Rolling Average Added Deaths Declines***

The seven-day rolling average of added COVID-19 cases continued to increase in the Northeast Health District on Monday with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report.

The Department of Public Health listed 133 new cases of the disease in the District along with four new confirmed deaths from the disease.

Seven-Day Rolling Average Added COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District Has Increased Five Days Running

***District Lagging State In Vaccinations***

The Northeast Health District added 99 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases increased for the fifth day in a row.

The District did not add any new deaths in the Sunday Daily Status Report of the Department of Public Health, and the seven-day rolling average of added deaths remained unchanged at 5.4.

Rolling Average Added COVID-19 Cases Increasing Again In Northeast Health District; Rolling Average Added Deaths Declines

***Deaths Are In Elbert, Walton Counties, Which Lead In Mortality***

The Northeast Health District experienced an increase in the seven-day rolling average of added cases for the fourth day in a row on Saturday with the addition of 211 new cases of the disease.

The Daily Status Report listed three new confirmed deaths from the disease, and the seven-day rolling average of added deaths declined on Saturday.

Construction Scheduled To Begin In 2024 For SR 316 Intersection Projects In Oconee County

***GDOT Wants To “Transform” Gwinnett-To-Oconee Corridor***

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024 on four of nine intersection projects in Oconee County that are part of a massive effort to transform SR 316 into what the Georgia Department of Transportation is calling “a freeway-style corridor.”

Included in the initial construction is a “bundle” of projects that will include multi-grade intersections at the Oconee Connector and SR 316 and at Jimmy Daniell Road and SR 316.

The “bundle” also includes a bridge carrying Virgil Langford Road, currently blocked, across SR 316.