Guest Article by a City of Dawsonville Resident
The proposed community of 195 rental cottages on Perimeter Rd and Hwy 53 will affect the surroundings and school system, it’s impact will be detrimental to our community.
This isn’t just about Will Wade and his ties in the community and the nearby communities, it’s about our life style and our communities capabilities. Will Wade knows this community very well, and he knows the risk and impacts this brings, but would rather pad his pockets and show the Good ole boys he’s a big boy now. Will being on the BOE for 15 years he would be knowledgeable of what’s going to happen to this area after this community would be established, but just proves to us all he is no different than the others, and is just seeking fame and a seat at the Good ole boys and girls table. He’s worked his whole life to have a chair at this table, and he’s been sitting awhile with them. Wade’s history includes being a community banker with focus on real estate, executive management and commercial lending; Past Dawson County Rotary Club President; (09-10); 15 years on the BOE committee; Assistant District Governor for Dawson, Lumpkin, and White county. Will Wade is now a Georgia State Representative for district 9. Will has pull.
The other Land owners have been at the Good Ole Folks Table well since Dawsonville was established. The principal land owner no longer resides in our community, city or county, so why should they care about the Infrastructure or the impact of what’s going to happen when they sell out. The other couple, who’s the sister of principal land owner, also has ownership as well. Along with her husband. Are they all using their high ranking positions to get this passed?
The Good Ole Boys System from long past is seems still in effect today. Here in our small town, much like Washington DC politicians are making decisions for us and not asking the thoughts of the everyday citizens. They are making a decision for us expecting us to go along with it, thinking, we as citizens are incapable of making decisions or able to voice what’s best for our community in our community. Sadly it seems to be just another payday for some, but life changing affects on our community around this project.
This community of 195 rental cottages will have a negative impact in many different ways. The school system and bus transportation have been struggling. Struggling and can’t keep up with transportation with kids riding buses almost 1 1/2 hours from Perimeter Road to go to their schools. Causing educational learning/ behavior problems due to long rides and waking up earlier 6:15 and getting home later 4:35pm
Sweet Water Preserve was the first mistake on Perimeter. Take a ride in there, the fence lines and fences or unappealing and all over the place. They’re already starting to have problems and have been digging up constantly on the roads through yards to correct the problems which some are finding out that there’s underground springs all under this land. Those springs feed into a long network of waterways including Flat Creek, Shoal Creek and eventually the Etowah River. Same goes for this land under the 195. It has a Spring and Branch that also feeds into Flat Creek and beyond. What will happen to the flowing springs and waterways when mixed with the polluted water run off when the whole land is paved and built on with 195 little rentals crammed in side by side?
Ride the perimeter from 1 side of hwy 9 to the other side. Check out how rough the outside around the homes are looking like. This will look no different in 15 years, only worse. The surrounding homes will depreciate in value and safety. This will be rental properties, but 195 of them crammed on top of each other, yet the company wants to compare their companies proposal of usage of the land to Sweetwater Preserve and Farmington Apartments. Rental properties depreciate and devalue everything around them. The locals blame the move ins for the overgrowth of the small town but have no problem profiting financial gain from it. Caring less of the burdens it brings for the remaining citizens. There is no comparison one has 102 homes (Sweetwater) and the other one is 72 units (Farmington). This would be 195.
Now let’s talk about traffic. The study was done during this summer, which is when school is out, and I believe is inaccurate to the true amount of traffic during the school months which is August-May. Traffic study done during the 60 days of summer where school traffic slows down is not true representation of daily traffic. Sweetwater preserve with 102 homes, having 204 minimum vehicles (2 per house). Adding Farmington apartments which are 72 units, with two cars per unit making it 144 cars. Let’s go ahead and add 20 extra cars for the people that live on Perimeter and Ingram. That’s 368 cars plus. By adding this one community that is 195 units and two cars per unit is 390 plus cars at the bare minimum. Which is over double the amount as of now.
Perimeter is a major community road, and a cut through for many. What’s happens when the plans rerouting the trucks out of downtown Dawson happens. It’s also in plans. It will be coming from 53 through Burt’s crossing crossing over onto Perimeter. That will be just wonderful. You can’t tell me the city, county and Will Wade forgot about that proposal. Could be the reason of selling off their property, maybe current owners are seeking else where. Due to what’s coming. Do you realize what this will do? Have you seen the traffic lately in the area ? Have you seen the traffic headed to and from 400. All of west Dawson County all the way to Big Canoe and down 183 drives through this intersection to get to Hwy 400. This 195 cottages will lead to permanent traffic congestion at this intersection. This is not common sense planning.
This community of 195 cottages will have a very large negative impact in so many different ways. Just drive through the other community the one on Lumpkin Campground and go up and down the streets, due to not fitting in their little rental cottages and the little driveways with their one car garage and 5 people living there the cars are up and down the streets. There’s not a single one bedroom unit they are all two and three bedroom units which is bringing three cars per unit roughly.
What happens with the rentals depreciate or go bankrupt? Have you not seen the small towns with downtown rentals. So this company should never compare themselves to other properties around it, as these are rental properties and the size does not compare to the others. Rentals are not the way to go nor 195 units of anything in this area of a matter of fact.
Dawson city and county has always been a small town, we have always been able to help and know one another. Many of the residents on Perimeter do not want this at all. They were not asked or informed properly. Many of the citizens that reside in Dawson or in the city have been here their whole lives for generations and they do not agree nor want this and is not needed.
Leave our small town alone! We love it just as it is. That’s why people want to live here forever. Do not let these people pushing this fool you. They all have ties with the city and in the county. Upsetting Citizen Voters in this big a way could possibly cause Will Wade to lose his seat.
~ From a concerned citizen who does not sit at the same table with these folks!
This is the 1st “Guest Article” contributed to our Series on “The 195 Chapman Apts in Dawsonville”. It is good that Dawson County, and Dawsonville Residents let their Voices be heard. This Article is also Shareable Online at our CJC Public Facebook News Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheCJCPage/
Peace,
– david / publisher
Citizen Journalist Cooperative (CJC)
themtnsvoice@aol.com
* a publication of The Mountains Voice
Editorial Note: Article submission was lightly edited for clarity, grammar, punctuality, arrangement and highlighting.
