Just south of the Habersham County border, construction on an 80-plus unit development by Atlanta-based Revive Group could begin in Lula in the next 30-60 days.
On Monday, March 17, Lula City Council approved 87 (1,800 square-foot) single-family units made of hardie board siding to be built on nearly 31-acres off Mountain View Parkway and GA 365.
Councilman Garnett Smith was the sole council member to vote against the proposal, though he could not be reached for comment.
Depending on market fluctuations, price points for the homes could range upward of $300,000, according to Lula’s Interim City Manager Frank Etheridge.
One of the conditions is a transportation study by GDOT to determine whether any road improvements are needed to support additional residents.
Etheridge said existing water/sewer infrastructure would support the development.
Yonah Holdings, of Demorest, was the previous land owner before the property was sold, according to public records.
Council response
Lula Councilwoman Juliette Talley said she “begrudgingly” voted to approve the project as the “lesser of two evils.”
If not approved as 87 single-family units, Talley said the applicant had plans to de-annex the property into Hall County and request 200 townhomes, instead.
“I voted in favor of 87 units remaining in the city limits of Lula, so Lula can actually control how it’s developed and how it’s done and be able to keep that property within (city limits), versus losing 30 acres … (then) we can’t control how things are done on that property. That’s why I voted ‘yes.’ It wasn’t something I wanted to do.”
With 87 units bringing less traffic and less strain on infrastructure, compared to 200, Talley went on to say the developer “knew the city of Lula would not approve high density for (200 or more) townhomes,” so she felt her hands were tied.
“In order to stop the high density (townhomes) from coming in there – which was actually going to create more traffic – we chose the lesser of two evils, basically,” she said.
Councilman Tony Cornett also provided his reasoning for approving the proposal Monday, specifically citing fears of potential legal battles.
“Many factors were considered by city council before rendering such an important decision. Factors involved in these types of decisions often include impacts to local service delivery negotiations and impacts to current water and wastewater facilities,” Cornett said. “There are many other factors including legal constraints as well as costs for any potential litigation that may arise that can overburden smaller cities all across the state of Georgia – (which) already experience strained resources.”
