City council will continue to learn more about land use options

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land use

HIAWASSEE, Ga – Hiawassee City Council agreed to move forward with learning more about land use and potentially zoning options for the city.

After attending a planning and land use class to learn more about the options on the table for cities, the council wanted more information before making any lasting decisions.

“It was a very good class. It was a lot of information poured out very quickly and it’s hard to digest all the information very quickly,” said Councilmember Jay Chastain.

Councilmember Anne Mitchell added she thought it provided the opportunity to “correct some of the growth” and was excited about the opportunity.

Chastain and Mitchell also agreed it would take a lot of discussion before putting anything into place.

Chastain thought the best plan would be if the city ever decided to move forward with more planning, zoning, or land use procedure, then it should be placed on the ballot as a referendum for the people to decide.

The city attorney explained that several cities have placed referendums on the ballot, not related to statutes like alcohol. So, he wasn’t going to advise that a referendum wasn’t a possibility.

“We’ve got to do lots of prepping beforehand,” Chastain stated. “We’ve got to draft what we’re going to attempt to do.”

Currently, the council is just discussing whether they want to move forward with the discussion or drop it entirely.

“I agree with Jay. It’s going to take a lot more community involvement, educating, and research before we decide to go down this direction,” Councilmember Amy Barrett commented.

Mitchell asked for information about how long the process would take and offered to attend as many informational sessions as she can to gain a better handle on the issue.

Young Harris has a zoning policy in effect.

The biggest area in Hiawassee that could benefit from a planning or zoning policy would be the business district. The measure could potentially prevent storage units from being developed along Hwy. 76. However, all of Hiawassee would be zoned either as a business district, residential district, or commercial/industrial. It must be a continuous area for the entire city limits. In some cases, a mixed-use area can be acceptable.

Towns County unincorporated isn’t currently considering a zoning policy. Most residents are against any zoning or planning ordinances.

“I don’t want people telling me what I can do or what I can’t do on my property is what people’s biggest concerns are,” Councilmember Nancy Noblet explained.

They all agreed that they wanted to learn more before implementing or dropping the planning and zoning discussion.

Salaries are an issue for public safety

Hiawassee Police Chief Paul Smith explained it’s becoming difficult to find individuals to fill officer positions. The main reason for this difficulty is pay.

“There’s a couple of officers I’ve spoken to, trying to get them to leave their current department to come work here, but we’ve had trouble so far,” Smith explained. “The ones I’ve spoken to we can’t match their pay.”

Neighboring departments are paying $4 more an hour. The starting pay for an officer with no experience is $14.26. They are looking for an overnight officer, so the pay is slightly more. Towns County deputies are paid around $3 more an hour.

Hiawassee Police Chief Paul Smith

Hiawassee Police Department does include a benefits package too.

Smith added that the police training conference he recently attended said this is an issue across the state.

Chastain said it might be time to look at the pay scale for public safety officials.

“I hate that these guys and girls have to put their life on the life for me. It breaks my heart that we’re all about this other stuff, but when it comes to our police department, I feel like that somewhere in the budget. It may not be water or sewer but somewhere in that budget surely to God, we can find money that can go to y’all,” Noblet stated.

One course of action to pay more police officers more would be raising taxes, but the council wants to review the budget first.

 

New language for planning ordinance decided on

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townhomes six units

HIAWASSEE, Ga – Hiawassee City Council will be lessening the acreage requirements for the number of units with a new ordinance change.

Though not officially part of the code yet, the council is moving forward with adjusting the planning ordinance language to state: “lots one acre or larger shall be limited to 12 living units per acre, constructed in no fewer than two structures and no more than four structures.”

Developers could build in duos, quads, or tris with the new wording, along with more units.

The adjustment will allow a new townhome development to build within city limits. Mountain Top Views wants to build on the back two acres next to the Georgia Vision Center. However, the ordinance limited construction to four units per acre, and the project needed at least six acres.

Proposed layout. However, adjustments are still necessary even with an ordinance change.

One council member Anne Mitchell opposed the ordinance change stating the way the council’s currently considering development is “kind of like the tail wagging the dog.” She wants Hiawassee to have a plan concerning the city’s future. Also, Mitchell stressed the need for affordable housing for low-income families in Hiawassee.

The comprehensive plan of Hiawassee will be updated this year and the City Attorney Thomas Mitchell advocated for considering how to properly handle affordable housing then.

Mitchell broached the subject of zoning suggesting it would give the city the flexibility to designate specific areas for commercial or residential development.

“I’m not sure I know the definition of zoning but from what I understand it gives us the ability to do things in small packages…and it protects us rather than harms us,” Mitchell commented. “If we want to declare a certain amount of area as a high density area with a zoning law, we could do that I think.”

City Attorney Thomas Mitchell confirmed the council could have a zoning ordinance just for the main street but didn’t recommend it because the county and city residents are strongly against it.

“If you did have a zoning ordinance, you would give a whole lot more flexibility as to what you could or couldn’t do,” Mitchell explained. “You could actually allow higher density residential by what’s called conditional use permits. You could decide whether that type of development was appropriate for a particular location.”

A conditional use permit is only possible with zoning and not a general planning ordinance.

Council member Amy Barrett expressed her support for the townhome idea as an affordable housing option for a two-income family.

“I like the fact that Hiawassee is appealing to my idea but different ideas of what home, community, and family is,” Barrett stated. “If I have a physician assistant or a dental hygienist and a physician assistant that are married, they can afford [the proposed townhomes]. I’m not saying it hits everything, but for me, it hits a niche that we don’t have.”  $350,000 and down good for a family…’

Council member Nancy Noblet added that she’s “hoping for the youth” and the future of Hiawassee with these townhomes. $350,000 or less in her opinion is a good deal for a middle class family looking for a home within city limits.

Council member Jay Chastain was absent at this meeting.

The first reading will take place during the May City Council meeting.

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