Oconee County, GA Politics

More insight from Lee Becker Dear Friends, The Oconee County Planning Commission tomorrow night is scheduled to review the rezone request for a major shopping center on Epps Bridge Parkway behind the current development. The rezone is the sole new item on the agenda < http://www.oconeecounty.com/Government/Planning/PlanningPDFs/PC-Agenda8-18-08.pdf >. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the courthouse in Watkinsville. The development will put a lot of traffic onto Epps Bridge Parkway and SR 316. It also will adversely affect McNutt Creek. As the Athens Banner-Herald < http://onlineathens.com/stories/081408/news_2008081400170.shtml > has reported, the entire project hinges on a road that is not yet built--an extension of the Oconee Connector. The Northeast Georgia Regional Development Center has raised concerns about the project. The Northeast Georgia Regional Development Center report is available here < http://www.negplanning.org/dri/search >. The Oconee County planning ...

Smart growth proponents will be pleased to know of the emergence of an as-of-yet unnamed group of supporters borne out of frustration with the development of the former Green Hills Country Club tract and surrounding area at the Clarke-Oconee-Oglethorpe nexus down Barnett Shoals way. This group has met several times at the Splitbeard Meadow barn of Dr. Bill Paul at 4900 Barnett Shoals Road in his barn and will do so again Tuesday evening at 7 pm. " The mission of our organization is to promote responsible community development by protecting historic(al) features, maintaining healthy economic growth, enjoining the political process, addressing environmental concerns, and monitoring sprawl, thereby preserving a high quality of life for all residents of the Clarke-Oconee-(Oglethorpe) region," wrote Dr. Paul in an email sent out earlier. Barnett Shoals Regional Coalition, (Intercounty) Coalition for Sustainable Development and Watch Dawgs are names that have been given a test...

With an unprecedented period of growth and development in Oconee County comes a large number of houses on the market. The overall infrastructure has yet to catch up with the massive amount of building here in this special section of Northeast Georgia. Three years of building has resulted in a glut of houses on the market, with Oconee's median price pushing over the half-million dollar mark recently. We need sanitary sewage systems for the entire county. No more huge septic fields please. The balloon could soon burst for all of us unless we compile a creative approach to growth and a vision to incorporate it with improved services such as a paid fire department. Keep an eye on the Planning Commission, Board of Commissioners and more as they threaten to mortgage our future with one too many strip malls and cul de sac developments

So writes Don Nelson and recommends the Oconee County Planning Commission. Seems like I remember something about a hotel being built next to the horribly named Oconee County Community Complex a few years back which evidently fell through. Where would you like to stay while you are here? Let's just make sure they are on a safe sanitary sewer and not leaching in a huge septic tank doo-doo field. There is still lots of wheeling and dealing with the Oconee County Planning Commission and not the least bit of controls on conflicts of interests, appearances of conflicts of interests, buying lavish dinners for planners, free trips, good ol' boy backroom dealings and what not. Time to rope them back in with similar controls to what are already on the books in Clarke County. We need a real visionary community-driven comprehensive planning map for 40 or 50 years in the future around here before Oconee County suddenly becomes Snellville. Oconee County should take another clue from Watki...

Certain parts of the rare sidewalks inside the city limits of Watkinsville were sorely needing upgrade and repair. My son and I used to coast over what we affectionately call the roller coaster between Third and Second on Barnett Shoals cement pedestrian paths. The Street Department has done an excellent job of smoothing out the jagged precipice to make it a nice safe ride. There are a couple of areas as sharp curbs at First and Third that should be next on the Street Department's list of things to improve by smoothing out to the street level with the nice gradual rise. The new sidewalk down by Stone Shoals is a welcome addition, but the blight that remains of SC Logging is an eyesore. Main Street Yarn is a welcome addition in the beautifully refurbished barn by Quinton Phillips and Cindy Jerrell. Residential, small business and industrial can co-exist well with a little bit of community input and planning, along with a healthy dose of smart growth. The Watkinsville City Coun...

Here in Oconee County we have cooperative but often competing forms of local governments with the municipalities exerting their own influence to the sometimes contrary conflicts with the county government on issues such as beer and wine. Potential business owners appear before the towns asking permission to open their doors, and very seldom does a council question the existence of any legitimate enterprise. But just such a rare turn occurred in Watkinsville recently over a small piece of property way down on Highway 15 at the south end of the city limits tucked in a trash filled lot owned by Cokey Elder. Council member Brian Brodrick led the charge in asking absolutely essential questions about how much the Colbert Storage, LLC would clean up of the considerable amount of eyesore garbage accmulated in piles. Brodrick and members of the council were polite but persistent in wanting to clean up this gaping wound of an industrial area in question at 1427 Greensboro Highway. The father an...

Dear Concerned Oconee County Citizen, As you, I am sure, are aware, Oconee County is currently in the process of revising its Land Use Plan. I need not remind you of the importance of this plan to the quality of our lives and the livability of our community. It is this plan by which we will grow and develop. Though the county has appointed a number of citizens to help put this plan together, the presence of this committee does not prevent all interested citizens from being involved. All citizens are invited and encouraged to come to committee meetings and will be provided opportunities for input. Though the county posts the dates of the committee meetings on its web page and in the Enterprise, we often tend to over look these notices. For this reason I am sending all my friends and acquaintances the dates for upcoming Comprehensive Land Use Plan Development Committee meetings. Please come voice your concerns and opinions. Hope to see you there. Mary Mellein May 15 – Citizens I...

Anyone (except 3 BOC members and most of the Planning Commission) with a little bit of foresight and knowledge would quickly realize the curvy Daniells Bridge Road cut-through will see a hundred fold traffic increase with each new massive development thoughtlessly shoved down our throat. At least it looks like a traffic light is going into where it meets Experiment Station Road - most Gainesville State College kid drivers know this traffic route now. I wrote the preceeding paragraph but I got the rest of this from Lee Becker via Charlie Baugh. Citizens for Oconee's Future, Inc. P. O. Box 1301 Watkinsville, GA 30677 Following is a message from Lee Becker with information about a rezone on Daniells Bridge Road. More of the same, rezones creating more traffic on narrow unsafe roads. Just another step in our march toward "Developed Land". Those directly impacted by this may want to let our elected decision makers know of your concerns. Charles Baugh Dear Neighbors: As ...

Afternoon all, We had a small victory last night. The Planning Commission voted to deny the rezone request at the corner of Branch Road and US441. The vote was 5:2. This is the second time the PC has voted to deny the rezone request by these developers. PLEASE plan to attend the Board of Commissioners meeting on March 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the Courthouse. As you all know, the vote by the Planning Commission is simply a recommendation. The real and final vote will be by the BOC. They are the elected officials who need to be informed of your thoughts and concerns regarding commercial rezones in the southern region of Oconee County. Every type of development has its proper time and place. This is the essence of land use planning. This is why the county employs a planning department. Now is not the proper time to open up south Oconee for another convenience store and gas station (and the subsequent other commercial developments that will certainly follow). The northern regions of t...