Watkinsville City Council listens to Bishop Family about Morrison Street development along with other concerns at Wednesday meeting

Mark Campbell, city engineer

The Watkinsville City Council listened to Luke Bishop and members of his family unveil a proposed COMMERCIAL cul-de-sac subdivision development in one of the more over-traveled and under-prepared roads in Watkinsville, and that is Morrison Street.

Three members of the Bishop family were present.

The proposed commercial lots border family dwellings to the west toward Colham Ferry School, and the industry development to the east including many different businesses toward Highway 15.

They employed Landscape architect Bob Smith, not the former State Representative/current realtor, to talk to the city council about the preliminary plans.

City engineer Mark Campbell did a very good job of explaining the process and helping to address a variety of concerns about possible cut-de-sacs and or turning radiuses for fire trucks and what not.

Questions and answers were many from a variety of Bishops and council members.

This L-shaped cut through has always been a favorite for trucks trying to go from the Greensboro Highway (State Route 15) to Colham Ferry Road (and Highway 441 or even US Interstate 20 in Madison). Morrison Street has been one of several areas in Watkinsville that have been predominantly African-American at least in terms of residents for more than a few generations.

There are crops planted, fishing holes filled with various aquatic creatures, and a distinct lack of turning radius at the sharp 90 degree turn with lots and lots of houses and outbuildings built without much regard for zoning laws or home owners associations.  The Bishop family hopes to build at least seven lots for potential homes  commercial development across from the small lake. There are concerns with both the flood plains and wetlands.

No one living in or otherwise from the immediate Morrison Street neighborhood seemed to be in the small audience at the Watkinsville Community Center on a very wet Wednesday evening.  This was just the first step in a long process.

Watkinsville Mayor Charles Ivie
The above video does not have very much if anything to do with the above Bishop family project, but it was from the same meeting. For more videos around the Bishop family, please check my lowellsdad twitter feed or possibly my danjmatt instagram feed.