A quorum of Ellijay City Councilmembers approved annexing two properties expected to see future construction into the city limits, but not before hearing opinions for and against the requested annexations during last Monday’s council meeting.
One of the properties, two parcels totaling 3.04 acres at 654 Progress Road, is owned by local nonprofit New Beginnings for Gilmer County. The land is slated to be used for the construction of multifamily housing.
“(The) primary goal with that project, possibly called Progress Point, is to make it more affordable with the help of partners in our community for our teachers, public service and those kind of folks who are desperate for affordable housing,” said Karleen Ferguson, a former county commissioner now involved with the Gilmer Initiative for Community Housing, in support of the New Beginnings project.
Out of six letters sent to nearby property owners, three did not object to the annexation, while one did object, noted Andrew Mathis, city code enforcement officer. The property, which was in the county before the annexation, is already zoned multifamily residential, Mathis said.
“Our effort to do this is a community effort because the funds used to purchase that property and go forward have been raised in the community,” said Rachel Tarr, New Beginnings board member in support of the annexation.
Ferguson said the annexation will help New Beginnings build more housing units than could be done in the county.
Tarr said a maximum of 30 units could eventually be built on the property.
“We do not anticipate the 30. We’re not doing those all at once. We’re doing those unit by unit,” she added.
The other property, two parcels totaling 7.03 acres at 2190 Old Highway 5 South currently owned by post one county commissioner Hubert Parker, are expected to be sold and then used to build a convenience store and possibly other retail shopping space. Both commercial-zoned lots are located at the roundabout intersection of Old Highway 5 and Highway 382.
The annexation has to do with the potential buyer possibly selling alcohol in the future, noted the code enforcement report. Out of 13 letters sent to nearby property owners, Mathis said four objected and one did not object.
At the meeting, Kimberly Reckles, a county resident, spoke against the city annexing both properties.
For the Old Highway 5 property, Reckles had concern about the city limits extending that far out for a commercial project and the additional resources that could entail. For the Progress Road property, she was concerned about the impact the new housing and other nearby parcels that may be annexed in the future could have on traffic, roads and utilities.
“My concern is not just about this individual parcel. It’s about what happens after,” she added.
Attending councilmembers Tom Crawford, Katie Lancey and Kevin Pritchett later voted unanimously for both properties to be annexed without further discussion. Councilmembers Sandy Ott and Al Fuller were not present at the meeting.
In other news ...
Councilmembers approved an array of alcohol license renewals for several businesses including on-premise consumption licenses for: Boardwalk Pizza and Pub, Ellijay American Legion, The Roof, River Street Tavern, La Catrina and The Falls At Blue Ridge.
Also approved were: a brewpub license for Boardwalk Pizza and Pub, a microbrewery license renewal for Cartecay Bike Shop and a microdistillery license for DB (White Path Creek) Distillery.