GAINESVILLE – A 543-unit residential development is on its way to the Hall County Commission following a unanimous recommendation for rezoning approval from the Hall County Planning Commission Monday evening.
“This item is kind of redeveloping the Magnolia Station Subdivision,” Hall County Planning and Development Director Sarah McQuade said of the subdivision initially approved in part in 2007.
This area along the northwest side of SR 365 and to the east of SR 52 (Lula Road) was poised for a tremendous increase in population a decade-and-a-half ago, but the Great Recession stopped Magnolia Station from being fully developed, and ended plans for developing the adjacent 1500-acres, approved in 2008 for 1507-residential units, a new school and over 1-million square feet of commercial space. One Hall County commissioner at the time likened the proposed development to “a small city”.
But Ridgeline Land Planning, Inc. says it’s ready to resume what the Great Recession halted.
“It’s has had a couple of different iterations before us with two phases of it already approved,” McQuade continued. “Phase 1 which included 89-single family detached homes and a Phase 2 that included an additional 55-single family detached (homes).”
“Since then the property has changed hands and the current property owner is looking to redevelop it and expand the remainder of the subdivision,” she added.
The developer is seeking approval to rezone all three tracts of land for the project, totaling nearly 201-acres, as Planned Residential Development (PRD). Currently two of the tracts are zoned Residential 1 (R-1), the third tract already is PRD.
Development will happen in stages: Phase I and 2 are already developed as mentioned above; Phase 3 will have 40-single family detached homes; Phase 4 will have 140-single family attached homes; Phase 5 will have 112-single family attached homes; and Phase 6 will have 107-single family detached homes.
“With the cost of developments, and the cost of homes, and the growth that Hall County has been having in the corridor up (Interstate) 985, the need for homes for working people continues to grow,” Keith Breedlove of Gainesville said on behalf of Ridgeline Land Planning.
“Everyone can’t have a $500,000 to $600,000 home to live in…and our question today is, ‘Can we provide those for them?’” Breedlove asked commissioners.
“We can,” he said, answering his own question. “And we’re fortunate enough to have sewer availability…and they (Lula) are looking forward to it, as well.”
In 2009 the Town of Lula broke ground on a state-of-the-art waste treatment facility next door to the planned subdivisions that never materialized; now the small town’s big sewer capacity is about meet the needs it was designed for over a decade ago.
The Hall County Commission is scheduled to vote on the rezoning request at its June 24th meeting.
