The latest in the Riverwalk battle
This is it folks. The Plum Creek rezone requests are on the agenda for tomorrow night’s BOC meeting. Russ Page has summarized where things stand. Read below. If this issue is of any value to you at all, PLEASE be at the courthouse tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. and sign up to speak. Make it a day of civic activity. Case your vote, then come cast your voice!
Many thanks,
Tony Glenn
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Friends:
The BOC vote regarding Plum Creek Timberlands 2 pieces of land at 441 and the Apalachee River comes up Tuesday at 7 PM. I have made a plea to Plum Creek to think about donating the entire ~350 Ac to the county and a conservation easement to the Athens Land Trust (this way they could get maximal tax incentives). They have said that the River Walk was not something in concrete...just an idea. I have mailed them a 15 page in-depth overview of what we propose for a river walk. They have not answered my email yet. The Planning Commission has recommended denial of this rezone...you read that the Fire Chief Bruce Thaxton worries about being able to provide any fire service down there because of lack of water and how far it is...etc. Also Gary Dodd has said that the county has no immediate plans to run water lines that for down on the South end of the county. That coupled with the fact that if there were homes there...they would probably shop in Madison (a quick, short trip for them)...not Oconee County, so it would be hard to support the idea that this would bring such an increase in tax to the county. This is clearly a case of sprawl, which would cost the county much more in trying to provide services to these homes than they would generate in property taxes. Plus I don't know who should be liable for the water situation if none of these homes...which right now are all supposed to be on individual wells, but ethically, someone should have to guarantee that they can find water enough to support the 300 or so homes this subdivision approval would put down there (each of the 2 already approved were in the 80 some home ball park). I don't know what the BOC will do. I don't know what Plum Creek will do. I think we can plan on them bringing a legal action if they get denied, but who knows, maybe that's just what they need to make them consider donating the land. Go to their web site...they say they are environmentally friendly...and like to support conservation efforts in counties where they work. They are a very large company owning over 8 million acres across the country. Georgia is the 3rd largest in number of acres plum creek timberland owns.
Come to the BOC meeting. Sign up to speak.
Thank you,
Russ
Many thanks,
Tony Glenn
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Friends:
The BOC vote regarding Plum Creek Timberlands 2 pieces of land at 441 and the Apalachee River comes up Tuesday at 7 PM. I have made a plea to Plum Creek to think about donating the entire ~350 Ac to the county and a conservation easement to the Athens Land Trust (this way they could get maximal tax incentives). They have said that the River Walk was not something in concrete...just an idea. I have mailed them a 15 page in-depth overview of what we propose for a river walk. They have not answered my email yet. The Planning Commission has recommended denial of this rezone...you read that the Fire Chief Bruce Thaxton worries about being able to provide any fire service down there because of lack of water and how far it is...etc. Also Gary Dodd has said that the county has no immediate plans to run water lines that for down on the South end of the county. That coupled with the fact that if there were homes there...they would probably shop in Madison (a quick, short trip for them)...not Oconee County, so it would be hard to support the idea that this would bring such an increase in tax to the county. This is clearly a case of sprawl, which would cost the county much more in trying to provide services to these homes than they would generate in property taxes. Plus I don't know who should be liable for the water situation if none of these homes...which right now are all supposed to be on individual wells, but ethically, someone should have to guarantee that they can find water enough to support the 300 or so homes this subdivision approval would put down there (each of the 2 already approved were in the 80 some home ball park). I don't know what the BOC will do. I don't know what Plum Creek will do. I think we can plan on them bringing a legal action if they get denied, but who knows, maybe that's just what they need to make them consider donating the land. Go to their web site...they say they are environmentally friendly...and like to support conservation efforts in counties where they work. They are a very large company owning over 8 million acres across the country. Georgia is the 3rd largest in number of acres plum creek timberland owns.
Come to the BOC meeting. Sign up to speak.
Thank you,
Russ
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