The Greene County Board of Commissioners discussed several potential developments during its Dec. 9 meeting.
The gathering lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours, with multiple citizens sharing concerns during the first item on the agenda.
Early into the meeting, the BOC listened to the consideration of a preliminary plat request for a new development at Lake Oconee’s Harbor Club, under the name Harbor Point.
The Harbor Point Development is classified as a Planned Unit Development. It would occupy 15.17 acres, with 1.5 acres in the road right-of-way, 7.5 acres in lots, and 6.65 acres in the designated area for common property. Greene County’s building and zoning office agreed that the development plan complied with the Georgia Plat Act and Greene BOC’s guidelines.
“I’ve been a full-time resident here at Harbor Club for nearly 35 years, and during the many years I’ve lived here, I’ve seen new developments built in Harbor Club,” said Greene County resident Corie Krause. “At this time, I cannot say good things about the proposed townhomes, which place the 79 condos on a mere 15.1 acres, jammed right up to the doorstep of some of the Harbor Club lake goers.”
Krause said the concepts drawn include “little or no consideration” for homeowners’ privacy, adding that they paid for their property so they could live in a quieter community. She claimed the concept included “inadequate buildings with inadequate greenspace, lacks obvious common sense planning,” fails to protect the area from water and sewer overflows, and will worsen the impacts of traffic from surrounding developments.
“We knew that a development would come around somewhere eventually above our property, but this monstrous project is insane,” Krause said. “This enormous encroachment of a massive development is a sure thing, unless wiser and more common-sense minds seek a new plan. I speak as an 81-year-old widow, who truly values her home and her way of life. Please do not allow greed to overcome common sense.”
Krause received a round of applause for her statement to the board of commissioners.
“We all assume that the space on this map was never designated as a development area, but it seems like it would be assumed that you would have these areas, that are not shown as lots, would be, in fact, open or green space,” said Mark Shulze, another Harbor Club resident. “The question of whether we have enough water to service these developments is a very serious one, and because of that, I say you should at least table this until you get a clear answer about that and the open space.”
The preliminary plat discussion lasted nearly an hour and a half of the meeting, before Greene County BOC Chairman Gary Ursy closed public comments. He then made a motion to approve the Harbor Club preliminary plat request, but it was ultimately tabled for the Jan. 13 meeting by a 3-2 vote.