Oconee County, GA Politics

Thank God that developer Frank Gunter Property LLC dropped their lawsuit against the Oconee County Board of Commissioners for an ill-advised, poorly planned and almost unanimously opposed shopping center in a neighborhood that does not need one. Almost everyone in the Chaddwyck subdivision - at ground zero of this proposed development - came out against this bird brained proposal, as did the Planning Commission and initially at least so did the Board of Commissioners. Put a Whole Foods or Trader Joes there (or anywhere in Oconee for that matter) and I might be down with it. Former Oconee County Board of Education candidate Ashley Hood should put her name in for the newest slot on the Oconee Planning Commission advertised in the Enterprise this week. I drive my son to school a couple of times a week to Athens Academy along LaVista Road off 441 and as anyone who has tried to exit from the neighboring Waffle House, it is already difficult to turn left against traffic. I turned right on to...

Tony Glenn sent this and I am relating it to you as well. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Contrary to what you may have read in the papers, the issue of Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) is still very much alive within Oconee County.  Please mark your calendar for this event.  TDRs are one strategy for helping to preserve greenspace and the rural atmosphere within South Oconee.  Here's a chance to learn more. See the attached flier. Transferable Development Rights Educational Summit Sunday, February 22, 2009 5:00 p.m. Watkinsville Library Auditorium. Russ Page and other TDR committee members will be available to describe TDRs and answer questions. Transferable Development Rights (TDR) Educational Summit Sunday, February 22 at 5 PM Watkinsville Library Auditorium Landowners, homeowners and all Oconee County residents are invited to listen to a presentation and ask questions about Transferable Development Rights. What are Transferable Development Righ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Oconee County Democratic Committee will be hosting an Educational Summit on Transferable Development Rights 5 pm Sunday, February 22nd at the Oconee County Library in Watkinsville. This will be a non-partisan event featuring Dr. Russ Page talking about preserving agricultural property in the southern rural part of the county in exchange for denser zoning in the northern suburban section of the county. Everyone is invited regardless of party affiliation or residency. For more information call 706-769-1131.

Transferable Development Rights is a difficult to grasp concept where essentially one end of Oconee County would give up its right to build on its land for the other end to be able to build at a higher density than is allowed currently by zoning and planning. The Oconee County Democratic Committee distributed and discussed the report put together by activists and developers to try to begin the process of possible putting this in place for Oconee County. At 5 pm on Sunday, February 22nd at the Oconee County Library (if available)in Watkinsville the Oconee County Democratic Committee will host a meeting to help foster understanding of this complex issue with the possibility of Dr. Russ Page and Wayne Provost if they are willing and available to discuss this issue. Newton County has begun the process of of beginning this with the help of Rick Pruitz. There are other examples in Georgia such as the Chattahoochee Hills community in Fulton County and to a much lesser degree the Orange Twin ...