Photo studio operator rethinks his withdrawal
Soon to be former Oconee County State Representative and local realtor Bob Smith is deciding to burn bridges with the local arts and municipal government leaders due to their due diligence deliberating supposed spot zoning for the conditional use permit allowing a long-time established Athens portraiture photographer Dan McClure and his daughter a tract of land called the Oaks property after current owner David Oaks who has hired Bob Smith to sell the property. To accommodate Mr. McClure sudden withdrawal at the end of a contentious and long Watkinsville City Council meeting last week and subsequent resubmission at a special called meeting this evening Thursday to consider such a matter of great concern. I
It seems the issues in this CUP are separate and distinct, ranging from the fact that this is not actually Dan McClure's studio but his daughter's Lauren Forrester potential residence and business home despite who might be paying for it to Bob Smith's arrogance in lecturing the Watkinsville City Council about how and when signs will or will not be allowed to fabricating and concocting a very small note displayed on a huge 4' x 4' pretending that the sign is a work of art. More people I know are mad about the repeated abuse of the huge sign than the actual zoning change. Folks in Watkinsville are a generally tolerant type, but I am not sure I would want to stare at a glowing sign like Mr. McClure has on Milledge Avenue in Athens at his other very tasteful studio. Now Ms. Forrester is evidently going to actually live there, which should be a prerequisite for any home or special business. It is not on Milledge Avenue in Athens, but I am very concerned about deceleration lanes, parking and turning on a very busy and almost blind hill either way on Simonton Bridge - Whitehall Road.
The trio of Brian Brodrick, Toby Smith and Henry Norman are the gang of three who supported this conditional use permit. Will they change their votes before the special called meeting tonight? I doubt it highly, but I do not denounce them for the vote or question their motives in supporting business growth locally. There are many home businesses in Watkinsville, and even a few homes among the businesses. I think we can find a way for a tasteful sign to be displayed in a manner that will make the neighbors, the land owners, the USPS mail delivers (I have never heard of signs being condoned to hang off mail boxes). This is one time where I have complete faith in the ability of our city council members to make the best decision despite my absence and even possibly missing two meetings in a row! I think I would actually be siding with neighbor Samantha Purcell and firefighter council member Mike Link in this particular matter, although I completely understand how and why Brodrick, Smith and Norman voted the way they did.
The Oconee Enterprise > News > Photo studio operator rethinks his withdrawal
It seems the issues in this CUP are separate and distinct, ranging from the fact that this is not actually Dan McClure's studio but his daughter's Lauren Forrester potential residence and business home despite who might be paying for it to Bob Smith's arrogance in lecturing the Watkinsville City Council about how and when signs will or will not be allowed to fabricating and concocting a very small note displayed on a huge 4' x 4' pretending that the sign is a work of art. More people I know are mad about the repeated abuse of the huge sign than the actual zoning change. Folks in Watkinsville are a generally tolerant type, but I am not sure I would want to stare at a glowing sign like Mr. McClure has on Milledge Avenue in Athens at his other very tasteful studio. Now Ms. Forrester is evidently going to actually live there, which should be a prerequisite for any home or special business. It is not on Milledge Avenue in Athens, but I am very concerned about deceleration lanes, parking and turning on a very busy and almost blind hill either way on Simonton Bridge - Whitehall Road.
The trio of Brian Brodrick, Toby Smith and Henry Norman are the gang of three who supported this conditional use permit. Will they change their votes before the special called meeting tonight? I doubt it highly, but I do not denounce them for the vote or question their motives in supporting business growth locally. There are many home businesses in Watkinsville, and even a few homes among the businesses. I think we can find a way for a tasteful sign to be displayed in a manner that will make the neighbors, the land owners, the USPS mail delivers (I have never heard of signs being condoned to hang off mail boxes). This is one time where I have complete faith in the ability of our city council members to make the best decision despite my absence and even possibly missing two meetings in a row! I think I would actually be siding with neighbor Samantha Purcell and firefighter council member Mike Link in this particular matter, although I completely understand how and why Brodrick, Smith and Norman voted the way they did.
The Oconee Enterprise > News > Photo studio operator rethinks his withdrawal
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