Demolition has begun on a series of buildings in downtown Flowery Branch.
The city is tearing down the former police building and city hall on Main Street in preparation for a new two-story mixed-use development being built by The Residential Group, LLC. The police building was leveled on Thursday and the city hall building will be the next to fall according to city manager Bill Andrew.
"They've started on city hall, so we're anticipating being done within two weeks," Andrew said after Thursday's city council meeting.
The two buidings have been unoccupied since the city relocated its police department and city hall to a new building on Church Street in 2018.
Andrew said the buildings should be destroyed quickly but it will take over a week to sort through the leftover metal in the buildings' rubble. Rain began falling during Thursday's council meeting and Andrew said rain occasionally wetting the site could aid demolition crews.
Once the old buildings are gone, Andrew said The Residential Group could begin construction on the proposed new building as soon as September.
"We'll be working with them through our historic preservation committee to get approvals for elevations and all that so whether that's going to be possible, I don't know," Andrew said. "Certainly October could be possible, so September or October."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/8/819209/old-flowery-branch-police-city-hall-buildings-being-demolished