Gainesville City Council approves zoning for neighborhood on Hwy 129

GAINESVILLE - At its meeting Tuesday night, the Gainesville City Council approved a zoning request for Alcovy-20, Inc. to build houses on a 26-acres tract on the east and west sides of Wilson Drive.<br /> <br /> Wilson Drive is located on Athens Highway just east of I-985.<br /> <br /> The new houses would be a minimum of 1,500 square feet and have two floors.<br /> <br /> One concern voiced by George Rucker, a citizen who owns property on both sides of the development, was the effect this would have on traffic on Highway 129.<br /> <br /> "You have a left turn into Lenox Park, and then another left turn onto Wilson Drive," said Rucker.<br /> <br /> He estimated the distance between the turns to be around 200 feet.<br /> <br /> The developer said they've spoken with the Georgia DOT, but the new neighborhood doesn't have enough houses to merit a study that could potentially put in a traffic light.<br /> <br /> "129 is the biggest artery for Gainesville," said Rucker, who was the only person to speak in opposition to the request.<br /> <br /> The council was also asked to amend the request for sidewalks.<br /> <br /> City standards dictate that a developer must put sidewalks on both sides of the street.<br /> <br /> The new development has about one mile of green space between the north and south ends of the subdivision, and a representative from Alcovy asked that they be allowed to build sidewalks only on one side of that stretch.<br /> <br /> The council denied the amendment, but passed the zoning request in a 4-1 vote.<br /> <br /> Councilman Sam Couvillon of Ward 1 was the only "no" vote.<br /> <br /> A second reading will be held at the July 15 meeting, where the proposal could receive final approval.