Friday, October 6, 2000
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Friday, October 6, 2000 |
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Megasite issue surfaces again By JOHN THOMPSON After months of silence, it appears the Coweta County Board of Commissioners is getting ready to take another look at the county's megasite proposal. During Tuesday's Commission meeting, Commissioner Lawrence Nelms said he understood the county would soon be voting on a zoning proposal for the site. "I still would like a second crack at this after we determine what's going to be there," he said. Nelms added that a company that brought 5,000 employees to the county would mean 10,000 more cars on the road and more children crowding into the school system. The 1,200-acre site near Moreland is one of five megasites the state will use to encourage large manufacturing operations to move their businesses to Georgia. The site is next to Interstate 85 at Exit 8. Hunter added that if a mega-site project is good for the county, he'll support it. Scott Frederick, director of 21st Century Coweta, told the Commission earlier this year that the property owners had agreed to let the property be listed as a mega-site for industrial recruitment. Megasites typically draw companies such as automobile manufacturers, and Frederick said Coweta's site has everything that major industrial projects want. "It's close to an interstate, a municipal airport, a rail line and is a short distance from Hartsfield International Airport," said Frederick. Typically, large scale industrial companies look for 500-acre tracts and Frederick said this site is even more attractive because of the additional acreage. The commissioners agreed in the spring that a megasite task force should be formed to keep the public informed of issues such as environmental concerns, traffic studies and economic impact. County officials did not disclose when a possible vote on the site would occur.
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