The commissioners denied the rezone request and the development plans are officially off the table. This victory belongs to the neighbors who showed up to those meetings and refused to back down. Keep an eye on the county planning agenda to ensure no similar proposals surface in the coming months.
September 29, 2022
Final supporters
Dear Oconee County Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners, we, the residents of Oconee Crossing and other nearby potentially affected communities ask that after considerable thought and deliberation, you deny the re-zone request from B-1 to B-2 by property owner Donald Hammett.
We reviewed a detailed map and met with Mr. Hammett's representatives and we strongly oppose these plans. If you, our elected county commissioners, approve this re-zone request, you would be approving a massive development that would sit adjacent to our neighborhood. In fact, several of our neighbors' homes would have their property lines bordering the proposed development. The BOC has already approved a senior living development across from Prince Ave church/school that will be anchored by a full-sized grocery store. Do we really need TWO large grocery stores within a half mile of each other? We also learned that Publix is reapplying to build a store at Oconee Connector. This means Oconee County could potentially have THREE new grocery stores within just a few miles of each other. That's not balanced growth. That's Gwinnett style growth.
The rezone application that will be brought before you calls for a car wash that would sit next to Stripling's General Store and then three adjacent fast food drive-thru restaurants, followed by a large grocery store and another large store that appears to be a feed store. This proposal would create significant problems for our neighborhood and negatively impact our quality of life. Here is a partial list of some of the negative issues we would be faced with should you approve this request.
1. Sharp increase in traffic.
2. Increase in crime.
3. Noise pollution (from increased traffic, 18 wheeler delivery trucks, garbage collection dumpsters and from the carwash bleeding into our quiet neighborhood).
4. The potential for contamination of our county provided well pump which sits at the entrance to our neighborhood and would border the proposed rezone request and could potentially impact our drinking water.
5. Odors emitting from the cooking grease and trash disposal at the fast food drive-thru restaurants.
6. An increase in dust, pollution and flooding due to excessive water run-off.
7. Negative impact on our natural surroundings, which includes forest, bamboo and a creek that runs through our neighborhood and through the property in question.
8. Creating more accidents at the intersection of Hwy 53 and Hwy 78, which is already extremely busy and has had many accidents. Building this massive commercial development would make the problem much worse.
9. The development includes retention ponds which will increase the mosquito and cockroach population in our neighborhood.
10. Our neighborhood and surrounding county residents would have to endure a two-year period of daily construction, noise, odors, tree cutting, construction, traffic interference, delivery trucks, 18 wheelers, run off, etc. that would all combine to degrade our quality of life.
We realize the decision before you is difficult and nuanced. But you have all gone on record saying that you want to balance the growth needs of our county with the desire to retain the small town charm that so many of us love about Oconee County. Please deny this rezone request with that spirit in mind.
Updates
July 29, 2022
We hit 500 signatures today. Post this link on your Facebook page and text three of your neighbors to keep the momentum going.
Reached 500 supporters
July 29, 2022
July 20, 2022
The momentum behind this effort is undeniable and the local planning commission is starting to take notice. Post this link on your Facebook page and text three neighbors to keep the pressure on our commissioners. We need to reach our representatives directly to ensure our concerns about this development do not go ignored.
Reached 100 supporters
July 15, 2022
175 Comments
I fully agree - rezoning goes against the Comprehensive County Plan, and our Board has a duty to consider and balance the rights and quality of life of our residents and prioritize them above a 3rd party desire for profit and gain.
I am a resident of the Oconee Crossing subdivision. I have been a resident of Oconee County for 21 years. There is no need for another grocery store at the intersection of GA53 and US78 as it is already a very busy intersection with multiple accidents annually.
I live in the adjacent Oconee Crossing subdivision and bought my house aware of the B-1 zoning next to my property line. That was part of the initial design of the neighborhood. I strongly oppose rezoning to B-2 which detracts from the isolated charm that drew our family to live in oconee county.
There are 5+ grocery stores within 20 mins of this intersection with one more already approved. The current zoning allows for smaller local businesses to develop this area, making the move to B2 ensures national chains are given priority over small local business.
I oppose this project due to its proximity to a residential neighborhood. This would materially and negatively impact my property values as I’m directly adjacent to the aforementioned development.
Traffic WILL become a nightmare if this passes. It is already a busy intersection. We do not need nor want this development.
Slow down development
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The commissioners denied the rezone request and the development plans are officially off the table. This victory belongs to the neighbors who showed up to those meetings and refused to back down. Keep an eye on the county planning agenda to ensure no similar proposals surface in the coming months.
September 29, 2022
Final supporters
Dear Oconee County Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners, we, the residents of Oconee Crossing and other nearby potentially affected communities ask that after considerable thought and deliberation, you deny the re-zone request from B-1 to B-2 by property owner Donald Hammett.
We reviewed a detailed map and met with Mr. Hammett's representatives and we strongly oppose these plans. If you, our elected county commissioners, approve this re-zone request, you would be approving a massive development that would sit adjacent to our neighborhood. In fact, several of our neighbors' homes would have their property lines bordering the proposed development. The BOC has already approved a senior living development across from Prince Ave church/school that will be anchored by a full-sized grocery store. Do we really need TWO large grocery stores within a half mile of each other? We also learned that Publix is reapplying to build a store at Oconee Connector. This means Oconee County could potentially have THREE new grocery stores within just a few miles of each other. That's not balanced growth. That's Gwinnett style growth.
The rezone application that will be brought before you calls for a car wash that would sit next to Stripling's General Store and then three adjacent fast food drive-thru restaurants, followed by a large grocery store and another large store that appears to be a feed store. This proposal would create significant problems for our neighborhood and negatively impact our quality of life. Here is a partial list of some of the negative issues we would be faced with should you approve this request.
1. Sharp increase in traffic.
2. Increase in crime.
3. Noise pollution (from increased traffic, 18 wheeler delivery trucks, garbage collection dumpsters and from the carwash bleeding into our quiet neighborhood).
4. The potential for contamination of our county provided well pump which sits at the entrance to our neighborhood and would border the proposed rezone request and could potentially impact our drinking water.
5. Odors emitting from the cooking grease and trash disposal at the fast food drive-thru restaurants.
6. An increase in dust, pollution and flooding due to excessive water run-off.
7. Negative impact on our natural surroundings, which includes forest, bamboo and a creek that runs through our neighborhood and through the property in question.
8. Creating more accidents at the intersection of Hwy 53 and Hwy 78, which is already extremely busy and has had many accidents. Building this massive commercial development would make the problem much worse.
9. The development includes retention ponds which will increase the mosquito and cockroach population in our neighborhood.
10. Our neighborhood and surrounding county residents would have to endure a two-year period of daily construction, noise, odors, tree cutting, construction, traffic interference, delivery trucks, 18 wheelers, run off, etc. that would all combine to degrade our quality of life.
We realize the decision before you is difficult and nuanced. But you have all gone on record saying that you want to balance the growth needs of our county with the desire to retain the small town charm that so many of us love about Oconee County. Please deny this rezone request with that spirit in mind.
Updates
July 29, 2022
We hit 500 signatures today. Post this link on your Facebook page and text three of your neighbors to keep the momentum going.
Reached 500 supporters
July 29, 2022
July 20, 2022
The momentum behind this effort is undeniable and the local planning commission is starting to take notice. Post this link on your Facebook page and text three neighbors to keep the pressure on our commissioners. We need to reach our representatives directly to ensure our concerns about this development do not go ignored.
Reached 100 supporters
July 15, 2022
175 Comments
We live on Sims Road about two miles from the proposed development. We strongly urge our commissioners not to approve this rezone. We do not need two grocery store/details developments within half a mile.
I fully agree - rezoning goes against the Comprehensive County Plan, and our Board has a duty to consider and balance the rights and quality of life of our residents and prioritize them above a 3rd party desire for profit and gain.
I am a resident of the Oconee Crossing subdivision. I have been a resident of Oconee County for 21 years. There is no need for another grocery store at the intersection of GA53 and US78 as it is already a very busy intersection with multiple accidents annually.
I live in the adjacent Oconee Crossing subdivision and bought my house aware of the B-1 zoning next to my property line. That was part of the initial design of the neighborhood. I strongly oppose rezoning to B-2 which detracts from the isolated charm that drew our family to live in oconee county.
There are 5+ grocery stores within 20 mins of this intersection with one more already approved. The current zoning allows for smaller local businesses to develop this area, making the move to B2 ensures national chains are given priority over small local business.
I oppose this project due to its proximity to a residential neighborhood. This would materially and negatively impact my property values as I’m directly adjacent to the aforementioned development.
Traffic WILL become a nightmare if this passes. It is already a busy intersection. We do not need nor want this development.
Slow down development
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We live on Sims Road about two miles from the proposed development. We strongly urge our commissioners not to approve this rezone. We do not need two grocery store/details developments within half a mile.