GAINESVILLE – Pulte Group will be building more homes along Spout Springs Road but not as a part of Reunion subdivision.
That follows Thursday evening’s decision by the Hall County Commission to rezone 54-acres immediately adjacent to Reunion Subdivision from AR-IV (Agricultural Residential-IV) to PRD (Planned Residential Development).
County commissioners followed the conditions recommended in August by the Hall County Planning Commission as part of the application, even tightening several of them.
District 1 Commissioner Kathy Cooper – in whose district the project lies – recommended fewer building lots, the prohibition of a golf cart path between the proposed development and the existing Reunion Subdivision, and that the developer construct a unique amenity package for the exclusive use of the new community.
“The developer is going to have to construct the amenity package with a pool, a ‘Tot-Lot’ for children and Pickleball courts,” Cooper specified. “And total units would be 140.” The rezoning application as presented to commissioners had asked for 144 single family lots.
The applicant also agreed to restrict the percentage of homes that could be used as rental property to ten percent maximum. That restriction will be enforced by the future Homeowners’ Association.
One of the key issues in the application process has been Pulte’s desire to connect the new development to Reunion Subdivision via a connector road across a vacant piece of property. To the developer’s surprise that property is now under contract to the Reunion Homeowners’ Association, and the HOA is staunchly opposed to the two developments being interconnected.
Reunion resident Gary Hodges told commissioners, “The homeowners banded together and I signed the contract to buy the property that keeps them out of our subdivision. So that tells you we’re strong about not wanting them in our subdivision, when we’re willing to spend our money…to keep them out.”
Hodges pointed on the overhead monitor to the parcel of land that Pulte was planning to use for the connector road to be constructed and said, “They don’t have that under contract; we do… and we’re moving to closing on it.”
Commissioner Jeff Stowe asked Pulte representative Brian Rochester, “How do you propose to connect if they own that piece of property?”
Rochester answered, “If they don’t close the property then that is still an opportunity for this to happen and to come through that. But you’re right; if they do buy that there are dynamics that we would have to figure out (for) another route to make that connection.”
“From what I have read it sounds like they are trying to raise the money to do that but haven’t been able to raise the money,” Rochester said.
With that the three dozen red-shirted Reunion residents in the audience moaned aloud collectively as if to dispute Rochester.
Commissioners accepted Cooper’s motion with revised conditions and unanimously approved the rezoning application for a stand-alone community with a single entrance off Spout Springs Road.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL FOR SPOUT SPRINGS ROAD, CONSTRUCTION-WISE
The Hall County Commission also gave unanimous approval Thursday evening to a pair of rezoning applications from McKinley Homes US, LCC, which will bring 365 new homes and 20,000-square feet of commercial/retail space to Spout Springs Road at Lancaster Crossing.
The number of single units had been 393 going into the commission voting session, but commissioners reduced that number to 365, eliminating 14 town home and 14 detached home building sites.
Town homes in the development will feature both front and rear loading units.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2021/9/1041215/reunion-subdivision-will-remain-separate-from-new-pulte-community