Council overrides Mayor’s Veto
City Council, Downtown Blue Ridge, News July 19, 2021
Blue Ridge, Ga. – City Council voted to override the Mayor’s veto of new height restrictions to be placed on future construction in the Central Business District (CBD) of the City of Blue Ridge.
The most current ordinance that stood regarding building height placed the restriction at 60 feet. The new ordinance brings the height restriction down to 41 feet (35 feet with up to an additional 6 feet to act as a buffer for any mechanical components that accompany the building).
At the June 8, 2021 City Council meeting all council members voted unanimously in favor of the 35 foot height restriction in the CBD after the recommendation of 35 feet came from the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The Gartrell Building is one of the taller historical buildings still remaining in the CBD.
Mayor Donna Whitener vetoed the council’s vote on this height restriction and released a letter to the public explaining her stance.
Among her reasons explained Whitener stated :
“Two different Zoning Administrators have proposed numerous times to reduce the height on buildings in the CBD area to 45 ft. While I am not in favor of the 60 ft height, it is my opinion that the 35 ft suggestion might not be adequate either.”
During the July 13, 2021 City Council meeting, zoning was a major topic of discussion with the proposed Town Hall Meeting on the subject being canceled last minute due to lack of adequate notice.
Whitener expressed that the height restriction could devalue current properties and felt that council and zoning should seek further training and guidance on the matter before making such a drastic change to the ordinance.
“I really feel like it needs to be looked at and evaluated and we need to come up with a good number so that we’re not battling lawsuits,” Whitner stated of her decision.
“Our Zoning Administrators have both recommended 45 feet” Whitener added, “With that I also feel like if we are going to do a reduction we need to talk about mechanicals being on top. I do think you should have a parapet wall, as we’ve discussed a little bit.”
A parapet wall is an extension of a wall at a roof line. This is often used to hide rooftop mechanics for aesthetic purposes.
Overall Whitener proposed looking into making the ordinance reduction from 60 feet to 45 feet.
Council member Mike Panter addressed Cindy Trimble, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, asking her if her recommendation of 35 feet still stood after all that she had heard during the meeting.
“I still stand where we voted, 35 feet, plus the addition for the equipment,” Trimble replied, also stating that she felt the 6 foot addition would be enough to cover any mechanics on a roof.
Council Member Rhonda Haight brought an end to discussion saying to Whitener, “You’re more concerned about the values and properties downtown, not about the aesthetics and not about what the people want.”
Haight motioned for the veto to be overridden and council voted unanimously in favor, with Council Member Harold Herndon not present to vote.
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Zoning request for Hastings Development tabled
Community, Downtown Blue Ridge, News January 17, 2021
Blue Ridge, Ga. – A development that has drawn the attention of many in Fannin County has once again come to a temporary halt as the developer seeks to have land rezoned in the City of Blue Ridge to accommodate the plans.
What has become known locally as the Hastings Development is a residential development set in the City of Blue Ridge with access points to Highway 515 and College Street. The 14 acre property sits adjacent to Overlook Subdivision.
The proposed development itself has seen a number of changes based on community feedback and most recently the city zoning board gave approval for an 83 town-home high density site. The Blue Ridge City Council has final say on whether zoning of the land will be changed for the development to take place.
Developer Johnnie Hastings addresses concerns of the citizens and presents a revitalized plan for the development.
The Hastings Development has been met with concerns ranging from the possibility of high volume traffic on narrow College Street to whether the city’s infrastructure can handle the additional stress of the new units.
A vote was expected to take place at the Jan. 12 Blue Ridge City Council meeting but with last minute changes to the proposed plans, a motion was made to table the decision until next month’s meeting.
“We listened,” Johnnie Hastings, the developer of the property, spoke to the council and citizens, “What is the need in the community? What is it that you guys need in terms of housing?”
Hastings explained that the original concept for the development dating back to Jan. 2020 was for affordable housing in the $250,000 range, but after gathering further community input the design was changed to upscale town-homes in the $450-500,000 range.
“I want to do something…that’s good for the community, that we can all get around,” Hastings said as he revealed the revised plan based on community push back to the suggested 83 town-homes, “Believe it or not but that’s my heart.”
Hastings’ new plan consists of 56 freestanding family homes at 4 homes per acre. The price will still be in the range $500,000 per home.
“We’re here to compromise and bring a little unity to this project,” Hastings said, adding, “At the end of the day you’ll be very pleased with what I did up there.”
Citizens who had come to the meeting to speak in opposition or at least express concerns over the development were taken off guard with the proposed changes to the site.
The main concerns echoed by the citizens present was the need for the new changes to be approved by the planning commission or flow through proper channels, whether the city’s infrastructure could handle the added usage and traffic coming onto College Street.
“It concerns me that you would vote on this when the planning commission has not,” one citizen spoke.
“The sewer system won’t handle it. The water system won’t handle it,” another citizen voiced.
Utility Director Rebecca Harkins addressed the concerns of city infrastructure stating that the city has more than enough capacity remaining in their system to handle the proposed development.
“I don’t have a position on this development,” Harkins stated adding that she simply wanted to present the public with the facts.
Harkins confirmed that the city did have capacity to handle the additional units to the system and that there are issues that need to be fixed and updated throughout the city’s infrastructure, but that those issues would have to be addressed regardless of the development adding on.
“I agree that it needs to be worked on and it needs to be worked on diligently,” Harkins said of the city’s current infrastructure and reassured residents that the development would cost nothing to the city: “The city does not fund any portion of the water and sewer system for a new development.”
Harkins also pointed out that the developer would be financially responsible for any impacts on the system from the development to the plant caused directly by their connection.
Mayor Donna Whitener confirmed that City Attorney James Balli had sent in writing that council could vote on the rezoning if Hastings had lowered density but that it would need to go through proper channels before coming to council if the density had increased.
Council member Mike Panter made a motion to table the vote until the next regular meeting in Feb. giving the council more time to look over the proposed changes.
All council members voted in favor of tabling the vote with the exception of Council member Rhonda Haight who stated her reason as “I think we’ve kept people waiting long enough”.
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