The Habersham County Commission will hold two public hearings Monday, June 17, for conditional use permits for property owners, in addition to the budget public hearing. The public hearings will be held during the regular commission meeting.
SEE RELATED: Public hearing scheduled Monday on Habersham County budget
Soccer facility
The first conditional use permit to be heard is for Juan Matias who is seeking a conditional use permit for 7 acres on Wheeler Road. The permit, if approved, would allow Matias to build a soccer field on the property, as well as associated parking, a concession building, and portable toilets.
In the documentation provided to the commissioners, Matias expects to have approximately six tournaments a year at the facility. The weekend tournaments would attract approximately 300 people to the facility. The rest of the year the facility would be used as a practice field for local teams to hone their skills. It would also be used for soccer games for local teams.
Staff feels that this is an inappropriate use of the property due to its proximity to a residential subdivision. Staff also states that a large number of citizens attended the Planning Commission meeting and spoke against the conditional use permit due to traffic concerns, noise, environmental impact, and being located in a residential area.
The Planning Commission’s recommendation to the commissioners is to deny the conditional use permit.
Dog training facility
The second conditional use permit to be heard is for Brandon Brooks for 14.93 acres on Turnerville Circle. The permit, if approved, would allow Brooks to open a dog training facility at his residence. The proposed enclosed facility would keep dogs inside a kennel unless Brooks is training them. The kennel would be inside a fenced area.
The kennel would be located to the side and rear of the property’s residence. Dogs would only be there for a period of two weeks at a time, with occasional dog owner’s dropping dogs off during the day for an hour or two for training sessions.
Brooks’ father is the owner of the property and spoke in favor of the conditional use permit. Staff feels that the intended use is appropriate for the area with the nearest residence approximately 100 yards away. The property is located in an area that is agriculture in nature with undeveloped property nearby.
Two citizens spoke in opposition at the Planning Commission meeting. Their opposition was due to dogs barking, the possibility of dangerous dogs getting loose in the area, and the road is gravel and in poor condition.
The Planning Commission recommends approval of the permit to the commissioners but with conditions. There will be no breeding of dogs at the facility. The fence must be an 8 foot high privacy fence. The facility would be restricted to only having six dogs at the facility at any given time.
Work session
The Habersham County Commissioners will hold a work session prior to its regular meeting Monday, June 17. The commission will hear from the Georgia Mountain Regional Commission (GMRC). GMRC Chairman Ken Shrubring, Executive Director Heather Feldman, and Director of Economic Development Patrick Larson will discuss with the commission the services that GMRC provides its regional partners.
GMRC is a public sector, non-profit planning and development agency that serves a 12-county region in the Georgia Mountains. It provides to those counties technical assistance in the areas of Economic Development, GIS, Human Resources, Planning, Revolving Loan Fund administration, and Workforce Development.
The Habersham County Commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. for its work session and at 6:00 p.m. for its regular meeting. Both meetings will be held in the Jury Assembly Room in the Habersham County Courthouse located at 295 Llewellyn Street in Clarkesville.
