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pickens county Georgia news
Published April 10, 2008
Second Visioning Meeting April 10th
Not many people had a vision Monday for the future of Pickens County.
At least, not many turned out for a “visioning session” conducted by the North Georgia Regional Development Center (NGRDC) as part of updating the County Comprehensive Plan for Pickens County.
Pickens County Director of Planning Norman Pope told participants gathered at the chamber of commerce building that the county and the NGRDC had already compiled extensive data and statistics and are now seeking citizen input through two public meetings (another is scheduled April 10) and a questionnaire.
While sparsely attended, the meeting aired plenty of opinions on a wide range of subjects ranging from the need for greenspace to the need to get the construction economy moving to the need for devoting more attention to arts.
Views expressed were typical of those presented at many public gatherings with almost everyone arguing for protecting the rural environment here, though details on how to achieve that preservation varied greatly.
Several people spoke for stricter ordinances and requirements on developments. Others said letting developers build in response to a market that wants bigger homes in a rural setting is the best answer.
Matt Moore, a resident along Highway 515, objected to commercial sprawl and the appearance of areas like the RaceTrac- Waffle House corridor, which he described as being stuck out by themselves away from any town. He said the other new development in his area with a bakery looked attractive and improved the appearance of the whole location.
“I’m afraid Highway 515 is going to look like Cobb Parkway,” Moore said.
Another speaker asked for a night-time lighting ordinance “so we can still see the stars” and also lobbied for a tree replacement ordinance requiring developers to plant new trees to replace any lost during a project.
Developer Hannah Goswick, with M & M Construction, who has proposed a 4,000 acre development in Talking Rock, said agriculture is not going to be a driving force here any longer, and large developments like Talking Rock Plantation, which has ample greenspace and protective buffers on river corridors is the best way to manage growth.
“The west part of this county, where I grew up, has always lagged behind,” she said. “There has never been any public space. We took the responsibility to give back to the community some greenspace [in the proposed Talking Rock Plantation].”
She also said strict planning through land use maps is not productive to the economy. “Development is risky, or there would be more people doing it,” she said. “You can’t bring someone in here and push them on a piece of property just to fill in a hole on a map. If they want to spend $500,000 you can’t tell them where they need to go.”
Jasper Mayor John Weaver (who came in late, following a city council meeting) also argued that excessive planning and controls is bad for economic growth.
“If banks shut down, who cares what the sign looked like?” he said.
Saying he was not advocating for either side, Eric Wilmarth, city manager of Ball Ground, said in some places a town can impose tight regulations, and new businesses will see such an advantage in locating there that they will comply. But at this point, he said, Pickens County’s population isn’t high enough to see businesses want so desperately to locate here that they would meet excessive regulations.
“If we really don’t care if the businesses come, we can put the [strict architectural controls] in place,” he said. If we want them to locate here, then we have to meet them [the prospective businesses] halfway.”
Other comments:
• Don Wells (with the Mountain Stewards) said the county and groups within it are active in developing trails, protecting greenspace and historic preservation.
However, he felt not enough is being done to control runoff into streams. “Just watch the rains and watch the rivers turn to mud,” he said.
• One speaker noted Pickens is at a disadvantage due to a lack of any Forest Service land. While surrounding North Georgia counties have large tracts of Forest Service land, Pickens doesn’t have any. “It’s scary,” she said. “Some counties have a cushion, but not here. This is a real critical issue.”
• Several people commented that many development ideas, like cluster homes, higher density housing and commercial development are impossible outside the city limits of Jasper as there is no public sewage. Donna Torres on the Chamber of Commerce Board said this is a “huge, huge issue.”
• Kathleen Thompson said when the audience was asked to rank important issues, “it bothers me that something has to be the most important.”
• John Aldridge advocated a joint water and sewage authority to prevent the city and county from “bumping heads.” While several people said it would be good to eliminate politics from infrastructure decisions, others said this is impossible.
Some pointed out that a successful water authority works in Cherokee County. But David Hall, superintendent of the Jasper Water Department, pointed out that in Gilmer County, county government has virtually taken over that joint authority, leaving the city with only one representative on the board to the county’s three, and a county commissioner serving as the authority’s chairman.
• Several people said sidewalks may be a benefit in limited areas around Jasper, but, in general, Pickens is too spread out to make sidewalks practical.
A west Pickens resident said even if there was a sidewalk, she would not ride a bicycle ten miles to the nearest store.
• Ardis McCain and Kathleen Thompson both spoke about the great arts base already present here and how improving performance venues and giving greater attention to the arts would improve all facets of the community.
Express your vision April 10
The second of two “visioning sessions” for citizens of Pickens County will be April 10 from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the chamber of commerce building.
This second meeting will cover the same topics as the April 7 meeting.