Baldwin City Council members are working to get their portion of Highway 365 designated as an Enterprise Zone (EZ) to make it more attractive to industry looking to locate in Habersham County.
The effort comes just weeks after Habersham County Commissioners created a special Corridor Overlay District (COD) instituting new zoning rules for new commercial development on the highway.
The COD stretches along the four-lane from Hall County up GA 365 to Stephens County and continuing along US 441 to Rabun County. “This is the reason why we’re doing this, because of the county overlay (district),” says Baldwin Mayor Jerry Neace. “We wanted to apply this (Enterprise Zone), to give tax credit to any businesses that come in.”
The proposed Baldwin EZ covers an area from Duncan Bridge Road down to Luthi Road along and adjacent to Highway 365. Just what shape the final zone will take and just what mix of incentives Baldwin and Habersham County will offer there remains to be seen. Other Georgia counties’ incentive packages include abatement or reduction of some property taxes and government fees for qualifying new businesses, tax credits for new job creation, and state financing for expansion.
No one expects new economic development to suddenly explode in Habersham County. Leaders say it will take years for the road here to get built up. “It’s going to be gradual. I think you’ll see smaller businesses at first, restaurants and the like, because this is the route to Cherokee, to the mountains, to Helen. That’s the type of development I think will initially start,” Neace explains, “but we also have these larger parcels that could develop into actual industry or multi-retail development.”
Mayor Neace sees the new EZ designation as putting out a welcome mat for when larger commercial industrial and manufacturing growth arrives at Baldwin’s doorstep. “This should make Baldwin and Habersham County more attractive.”
Applying for the EZ designation from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs will take about 6 months. Baldwin’s consulting company, Engineering Management Inc, is handling the process.
