The Habersham County Development Authority has withdrawn its request for proposals (RFP) for the old county courthouse on Monroe Street for a period of 90 days.
That move, during a called meeting Wednesday, came in response to a recent vote by the Clarkesville City Council to impose a moratorium on apartments inside the city, a press release from the county states.
Development authority members say they want to be good neighbors and don’t want to do anything that imposes a burden on Clarkesville’s service delivery, but they also want to ensure that Habersham County taxpayers receive the best return on their investment.
County Manager Alicia Vaughn said county officials would like to have an opportunity to meet with Clarkesville officials to discuss city leaders’ concerns regarding growth and make sure county leaders have a clear picture of any potential issues new development on the property might place on the city.
Similarly, the development authority wants to balance city concerns with protecting the county’s investment.
“This is important to Habersham County because taxpayer property is involved, and we want to ensure these measures are going to support or strengthen potential redevelopment proposals,” said Development Authority Chair Dr. Gail Thaxton. “We want to see not only what’s best for downtown Clarkesville, our county seat, but also for the taxpayers of the county.”
Vaughn said this pause is important to allow time for review of any unknowns.
“We want to make sure we’re putting our best foot forward and ensuring success of any partnership we may possibly form between a developer, the county, and the city of Clarkesville,” Vaughn said. “The last thing we want is to find we have challenges we did not properly communicate.”
The Clarkesville City Council voted on February 6 to impose a six-month moratorium on multi-family developments after city manager Keith Dickerson suggested it’s time to put a “cap” on the number of apartments in town. Councilmember Franklin Brown expressed his concern about the strain multi-family units place on the city’s water system and infrastructure.
City planners are expected to address those issues through Clarkesville’s comprehensive plan and zoning map.
SEE ALSO
Clarkesville imposes temporary moratorium on new apartment construction
