Milledgeville Mayor addresses concerns about rezoning decision
Newly elected Mayor Gary Thrower had to cast the deciding vote at his first council meeting. Council voted 3-3 to rezone the property on Nelson Road to allow student housing. Mayor Thrower voted in favor of the rezone.
“I really did a lot of research and I really took a lot of time to try to understand both sides of the equation,” explains Mayor Thrower.
He knew the property would be a hot topic at Tuesday night’s meeting.
“My biggest concerns are the traffic, the flooding, and the noise,” adds District 2 resident Iva Griffin.
Council voted to rezone the property to allow a developer to build student apartments. It was originally zoned for town homes.
“I looked at the way that it was currently zoned and what they were proposing and saw this an an upgrade as far as the city’s control over the project,” continues Mayor Thrower.
The property owner didn’t know exactly how many town homes he could build, but estimated it would be around 1,100 beds.
“Taking this project from an 1,100 bed project to a 500 bed project seemed to be somewhat less intrusive on the adjacent property owners,” comments Mayor Thrower.
Griffin doesn’t believe 1,100 beds could have been built on the property.
“I don’t think that’s possible. I think he threw that figure at us,” argues Griffin.
Mayor Thrower shared the same concerns as residents, but the developer assured him they wouldn’t be a problem.
“Every time an issue was brought forth, they provided a positive answer that made sense,” recalls Mayor Thrower.
The plans show entrances outside of the flood zone and room between home owners and the proposed apartment site, but it’s not enough for some residents.
“My plans are to call the police every time there’s too much noise. Just keep the police department real busy,” expresses Griffin.
If the property owner sells to the developer, it’s then his responsibility to make sure the land is fit for his project.
“He will have to look at all the sewer and water issues he has to deal with and prepare a cost analysis to make sure that it’s a feasible property for him,” explains Mayor Thrower.
Mayor Thrower said the developer wants to start construction on the 30-million dollar project in 2016. He hopes to have housing available for students in Fall 2017.
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