The Habersham County Development Authority is taking a firm stance in urging the current owner of two lots in the Airport Business Park to begin development or risk the authority repurchasing the land.
At a meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, members discussed the status of lots five and seven, which are owned by the Hutchinson organization. The authority is pushing for the construction of speculative buildings on the parcels, which could attract potential developers. However, the planned development has yet to materialize.
“It’s been 27 months since the organization purchased lots five and seven,” Habersham Development Authority Chairman Jim Butterworth said Thursday. “Their mandate was to build buildings, create development and create jobs. There has been zero effort in that regard, and it’s time to force their hand.”
Following the meeting, the development authority entered into an executive session to further discuss the situation. On Wednesday, Feb. 19, Partnership Habersham Executive Director Charlie Fiveash provided an update, explaining that the board members are “encouraging” the Hutchinson organization to begin development of the two properties, which total 12 usable acres.
“The only delay was that there was a good prospect coming from Jackson County that was very interested in locating there, but their corporate office sort of killed that deal in the 11th hour…so they’re back to the drawing board, more or less,” Fiveash said.
The two properties were purchased two years ago for $45,000 per usable acre. And while every site in Phase I of the Airport Business Park has been sold, some are still awaiting development. Once buildings are constructed on the two sites, they will likely be leased for industrial use.
The properties in question consist of “rough graded” land, as was the agreement with the developer when the sites were sold. Fiveash stressed the importance of moving forward with construction on at least one of the sites to benefit the local economy, community, and tax base.
“We’re still optimistic these are good sites,” he said. “They’re right in the heart of the business park. They’d be excellent sites for a user or speculative construction.”
Despite the delay, Fiveash and board members remain optimistic that the properties will eventually see development, which would boost the region’s industrial growth.
