Sunday, May 22, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Wieland plan approved in TyroneBy LEE WILLIAMS The Tyrone Planning Commission said No. The citizens said No. But the Tyrone Town Council, who has the ultimate say, said Yes Thursday to a proposal from John Wieland Homes to build a 160-home subdivision on Ga. Highway 74 South and Kirkley Road. Wieland requested a land use map amendment from 1.1 (Conservation) to 1.1, 1.4 (Multi-Family) and 6 (Parks and Recreation Conservation), and a rezoning from AR (Agricultural Residential) to DR-15 (Multi-Family) to make room for Tyrone II, which would feature a minimum half-acre lots. The subdivision will be built using a spin off to the conservation subdivision plan adopted by the city. A total of 117.4 acres of land will be used to develop Tyrone II. The remaining 99.6 acres of green space will be set aside for green space, officials said. Scott Auer of John Wieland Homes indicated the subdivision will be developed to ensure the citys character is preserved. Tyrone II would feature 2,800-square-foot and above single family homes ranging from $300,000 to $450,000. The minimum lot size would be a half-acre, but many homes would be larger than the minimum, he said. A recreational area would be included in the subdivision, which will be built adjacent to Wielands upscale single-family Southampton development. There are many features to this plan that have been considered to make it an environmentally friendly plan: One that works to protect the rural character of the land while allowing for smart growth, Auer told the council. More than 50 people both young and old who attended the 7 p.m. meeting at Town Hall opposed the plan. Some residents circulated fliers that read, Alert! Alert! Alert! John Wieland is at it again! to garner opposition for the plan. Bill Curlee of Crestwood Road was the first to express his viewpoint. I think if you agree with this half-acre then you are letting the citizens of Tyrone down, Curlee said. Curlee said schools would be overloaded, the fire department and the police department will need more people, and traffic on Highway 74 would get worse. I strongly recommend disapproval of this, he said. After listening to at least eight people who voiced fierce opposition to the proposal, the Council voted 3-2 in favor of the project. Council members Lyn Redwood and Lisa Richardson voted No. Council members Paul Letourneau and Michael Smola voted Yes. Tyrone City Mayor Sheryl Lee cast the deciding Yes vote. The councils vote sparked an angry outcry from the residents, including Carrie Kharl of Tyrone. No one expects that land to stay AR, but he could have developed that land under the current land use map and thats what the Planning Commission recommended and thats what everybody is asking for and its just a shame that you wont listen to your Planning Commission or your citizens. Tyrone II, which will be built on a 217-acre swap of land bordered by Ga. Highway 74 South, Kirkley Road, Mann Road and Davidson Mineral Products, a rock quarry, will take about five years to complete, officials said. Wieland agreed to donate a swap of land to build a Sandy Creek Road extension through Tyrone, but Council agreed to kill that portion of the deal Thursday. |
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