Jackson County has prided itself over the last three decades as being a place friendly to business growth. Both at the county and municipal level, local governments have long invested in infrastructure to accommodate industrial and business projects.
Water and sewer lines have been put in place and the county has invested millions of dollars on roads for business development.
But the large 700-acre industrial project currently being proposed for South Jackson doesn’t seem to fit Jackson County’s vision for the future. The proposal appears to be the wrong kind of project in the wrong location.
One of the mantras political leaders often use during their elections is to say they support “controlled growth.” While that is something of a misnomer — it’s impossible to have total control over what happens in the free market — the idea is that local governments should attempt to manage the growth it does have. That includes providing infrastructure for growth and also making sound, legal and defensible decisions involving large-scale rezonings.
This is one of those rare times when it appears the county government is in a strong position to decide the fate of a proposal from a position of strength. And while the projected tax revenue might be significant over time, that should not be the only criteria evaluated.
This proposal for Jackson Park would be dropping a large industrial project into the middle of an agricultural/residential area. It does not conform to the precedents set by the county government in attempting to keep such projects along the I-85 corridor.
In addition, if this project involves warehouses as proposed, county leaders should ask: Don’t we have enough forklift jobs?
This proposed project raises a lot of serious questions about the future direction of Jackson County and about how serious its leaders are about managed growth.
For the first time in many years, the county should perhaps say a polite “No” to a growth plan that seems to be at odds with the common vision of Jackson County’s future.
Winfield J. Abbe, Ph.D.
Winfield Properties LLC
150 Raintree Ct.
Athens, GA. 30607
wjabbe@aol.com
Since Mr.Buffington is all excited( and critical??) about this "new fangled blogging"I will keep this cordial and short.
The Development in question falls both into a green space area and into an area being preserved for agricultural use.While I do sympathise with you about the school taxes that I also pay without one child in the county school system.The bigger issue here is preserve green space in Jackson county.. I think and hope that I speak for a majority here when I say we do not want more warehouses and Gwinnett type development here.
There was miles of infrastructure put in the ground in Jackson county that both the tax payers and Water & Sewer authority bonded to build out.
It makes no sense to put development in South Jackson while the I-85 corridor lays unfinished and while we are indebted and committed to this area.
I further more challenge Chairman elect Bicknell to stay true to his word and support the agricultural community in Jackson County.
All words or Truth Hunter ???
So Mr.Abbe my advice is to sell...sell now because the area in question should stay zoned agricultural/residential not be sold to the highest bidder.
The reason we are in debted to the area around I85 is the same reason we are indebted to the courthouse..because our elected officials DONT listen to the voting public and do what they want. (if you think back there was a very large outcry against spending the money on the courthouse but that didn't stop them form building it).
So the real issue is should an industrial area be put in south jackson or asked to be moved to the I85 area?
South jackson Has rail access 85 does not.
South jackson is residential where as the 85 area has been set up for this kind of devolopment.
The citizens in the area dont want it in their backyards.
I didnt want the bypass comming through where they put it, it destroyed my quiet evening sitting on my front porch, now all I hear are trucks going by.
Much like you said to another person posting if you dont like what they want to do in your area the sell, sell now because they should build this.
If they dont approve this then I suggest that the people of thet area have their taxes raised to make up for the lost tax base. Commercial and industrial areas generate a tax base helping to keep our property taxes lower.
One last thing...
Q: What was the use of putting in a 4 lane highway from I85 all the way to Athens other than for Ga. Bulldog fans to get to the game faster.
A: It was to encourage devolopment along it. This kind of devolopment.
the satellite map at google.com. Go along the
I-85 corridor and then south on Hwy 129.
I believe you will be quite surprised.
There is need for preservation
of the greenspace. It has a
direct affect on the air you
breathe, and the watershed.
P.S. there are several empty sites around but that is not the point.
the point is, when you were looking to buy a house why didn't you buy the first one you saw although it would have worked right? but you looked around until you found one that suited your needs and wants then you bought OR built one to suit your needs.
the story of the house was just to make a point.
Maybe none of the other sites in the county suit this devolopers needs or wants. As mentioned, there is one in commerce with rail access, maybe he doesnt want to be in commerce or needs better access to Athens.
Maybe the commissioners should check to see if this devoloper has any clients lined up for the area or just working on the thought of "if you build it they will come".
And again I ask so what was the 4 lane highway put in for other than a convenience for GA. bulldog fans to get to the game faster?
It is for the devolopment of business along it. both commericial and industrial. If we dont allow that then the state just wasted a LOT of money for the convenience of what about 6-8 weekends a year.
as for the deputies not checking it i dont know about them but i as an city officer check buildings in use and not in use as well as the neighborhoods in the city. i drive through all the neighborhoods in the area i work for the day. as for eating at the same time all I can say is there has been many times I have had to leave my lunch to go to a call but you know how that is... OH! wait, no you dont because you most likly get a lunch break at a predetermined time of day. we as officers get to eat also, the difference is we are still on duty when we are eating so we eat when we can and we know that it might get put on hold or canceled because of a call. (some days we dont get to eat because we are just to busy).