Thursday March 28th, 2024 5:42PM
5:31PM ( 11 minutes ago ) News Alert

Hall Planning Commission wrestles to balance community need with county code

GAINESVILLE – Members of the Hall County Planning Commission admitted Monday evening that what should have been a simple decision on a rezoning request gave them more difficultly than they expected.

Planning Commission Chairman Don Smallwood was about to call for a motion to adjourn Monday’s meeting moments after the two-item agenda had been completed, but before doing so he decided to make a comment.

“We struggled through that first one for some reason,” Smallwood said, shaking his head. 

Smallwood was referring to a request made by KPL Investments to rezone 9.23-acres along Benefield Road for the purpose of building up to 13 affordable single family homes.

Following extended discussion with the applicants, the applicant’s general contractor, the applicant’s engineer and the county’s engineer, the rezoning request was adjusted and eventually recommended for approval by the Planning Commission.

“First, I think that they (KPL Investments principle owners Patrick and Kimberly Kernstine of Johns Creek) are amateurs, and second, I think they were trying to do as little as they could,” Smallwood said.

He added, “It’s necessary for us, I think, to hold their feet to the fire on some things.” 

District 4 Commissioner Johnny Varner responded to Smallwood’s comment by saying, “Even though they were kinda novice in what they were doing, they were trying to do something that is really needed, and that is, affordable housing.”

Varner continued, “The demand for 1800-square feet really isn’t there anymore.” 

The applicants had requested that the square footage condition recommended by Planning Department staff be lowered to 1600-square feet; after considerable discussion by commissioners that request was granted.

According to Hall County Planning Director Srikanth Yamala the reason the planning department staff recommended a minimum of 1800-square feet initially was based upon the practice of averaging square footage of houses within one mile of the new development.

Once the average square footage is calculated the result is used as a guideline by the planning staff for the new development.

“It needs to be re-looked,” Varner said.  “Those employers down there in that area are struggling.  They have so many jobs that they can’t fill because the work force is saturated; there’s nobody to go to work.  They’re bussing people here from other counties and cities to fulfill the job force requirements.”

Smallwood replied to Varner, “What you said is true but it’s not on the people that are already there…and the people who are already established, to let someone go in and destroy what they’ve got.”

“There’s got to be some common ground that we meet on,” Smallwood added.  “It gets tough some times.”

“I understand what they’re trying to do, but we’ve got the rules and the regulations for a reason,” Smallwood said.  “There’s some ground in it (flexibility in the code) that we can move on, and when we use that I think we’ll be okay.” 

Varner said to Yamala (Yamala also heads up the development of the county’s Comprehensive Plan), “It might be something to consider for the Comprehensive Plan moving forward, as you start to look at the demographics here.”

“Even though we look good as a county with our unemployment rate, we still have a poverty problem here,” Varner said.

KPL Investment’s rezoning request will now go to the Hall County Commission on December 12th for a first reading and public comment.  The County Commission makes the final ruling on all rezoning requests.

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