The Baldwin City Council gave its final approval Monday to a major annexation on the south end of Habersham County. The council unanimously approved the second reading of a request from Acres & Acres, LLC to annex 132.724 acres of unincorporated land into the city. The parcel in question sits in the Thompson Road, Alto Mud Creek Road area near GA 365.
Council gave its initial approval on November 9. During that meeting, a number of area residents expressed their concerns about the annexation, saying apartments and the development expected to come along with the annexation would take away from the rural atmosphere of Habersham County.
Others expressed public safety concerns regarding increased traffic on GA 365, which has a high number of accidents at its crossovers and intersections.
The council pushed final approval of the annexation to its December 14 meeting in order to give the company time to draw an updaed platt showing the required minimum fifty-foot buffer alongside county property.
VIEW: Baldwin City Council meeting
In addition to approving the annexation, the Baldwin City Council also unanimously voted to rezone the newly annexed property. They changed the zoning on the parcels along GA 365 and Alto Mud Creek Road to light industrial from its current low-intensity. They rezoned the Thompson Road property to R3 multi-family from its current moderate-intensity zoning.
The amended zoning includes a condition that any development on the R3 property is required to go through the city council.
“They do have to submit a plan prior to any acceptance of changes or building permits issued on the property,” said Baldwin City Clerk Emily Woodmaster. She clarified for the council that, if the land is sold, any future developments would still have to get the city council’s approval.
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Councilmember Alice Venter acknowledges people’s concerns about possible future developments. Still, “annexing it in means we get to hold them [developers] to a higher standard” than she says they would have been held to if the land had remained in the county.
Lula Capital LLC, the developer involved in the residential development that sparked controversy last year in Baldwin, has expressed interest in the property but Venter says no plans have been presented to the city.