CLARKESVILLE — Habersham County officials are trying to determine how to address complaints about an unlicensed events venue in the Alto area.
Though it was not an agenda item, Habersham County Commission Chairman Victor Anderson made other commissioners aware of the issue near the end of Monday afternoon’s commission work session, saying some residents might appear at Monday night’s commission meeting to express their concerns.
No residents attended the commission meeting, but Anderson answered AccessWDUN’s questions about the facility after Monday night’s meeting.
“The county has received some complaints from citizens living on the south end of the county, primarily in the Alto-Mud Creek Road [area] regarding venue-type events – primarily noise complaints,” Anderson told AccessWDUN. “Both the county code enforcement and county sheriff’s office are working together to determine the plausibility of those complaints and what can be done, if anything, to work with the property owners to try to get things in order so that it’s not a nuisance to the community.”
Anderson said the facility is more than a simple wedding or event venue.
“The property has a pole barn, an arena that appears to be like a rodeo or horse-type arena, as well as a designated area for parking on there,” Anderson said. “There is no variance of record that has been requested nor granted for any type of venue or business to be operated there, and there is no business license for that piece of property.”
Prior to the discovery of the current operation, the property had been a pasture for many years, Anderson said.
