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Commission
denies Oakwood annexation to lake request
By Jane Harrison
The City of Oakwood will pursue other links to Lake
Lanier after the Hall County Commission’s denial of its request to
annex county roads leading to the lake.
Commissioners on Jan. 26 unanimously voted down a
proposal by the South Hall city to annex county roads that the city
sought to gain lake access. Commissioner Ashley Bell was not
present. The decision came in a packed meeting room at the Georgia
Mountain Center where more than 75 attendees stood to demonstrate
their opposition to the proposal.
“If you go out into neighborhoods, you would find
tremendous opposition to this,” said Byers Road resident Charles
McKinney, who likened the proposed annexation to a back stab. “It’s
an effort by government to gain people to get power without
representation,” he said.
Applause followed his comments and those of six
others who voiced opposition of neighborhood associations along Flat
Creek, Mountain View, and Stephens roads, three main thoroughfares
sought in the annexation proposal.
Homeowners representing associations at Hidden
Harbors, Pointe South and Timber Crest cited concerns about
potential unwanted development, police ticketing, and big government
in what they called an attempted “land grab” by the city of Oakwood.
Most said they were uninformed about Oakwood’s intentions and were
apprehensive about how the city could change their communities in
unincorporated Hall County.
Henry Lewis, from Pointe South, said residents’
attendance showed “the depth of animosity” caused by the annexation
request. “The city already has lake access through public ramps and
beaches,” he said. Citizens in unincorporated areas are concerned
about taxes, potential impact fees, and (Oakwood) police that are
not regarded with favor” in South Hall.
Prior to citizens’ comments, Oakwood City Manager
Stan Brown told commissioners he submitted the annexation proposal
as part of a framework for the city to achieve its Oakwood 2030
Vision, which includes marketing Oakwood as a Lanier community and
developing walking trails and passive recreation facilities on the
lake. He said annexation of county roads would provide a path for
logical growth and unify a city limit interspersed with
unincorporated Hall County jurisdictions.
Brown drafted the annexation resolution in the
aftermath of two town hall meetings in November which drew fewer
than 20 people. Information about the meetings, which focused on
linking the lake to Oakwood, was advertised in local media
advertisements and news accounts. Brown said the city sent notices
to more than 1,800 South Hall addresses. No one attending the town
hall meetings indicated opposition to annexation.
However, after homeowner associations spread news
about potential annexation, a groundswell of opposition arose in the
form of emails and phone calls to commissioners and public comment
at a commissioners’ work session three nights before the board
meeting.
A meeting Brown arranged with homeowners’
associations the night before the commission vote did not do enough
to assuage their concerns. “It was a productive meeting providing
the foundation for further collaborative discussion” toward
Oakwood’s 2030 goals, said Timber Creek resident George Ordway. But,
he added that residents needed to “see something much more concrete”
about the city’s ultimate goals for development of lake property.
Commissioner Billy Powell, whose district includes a
section of South Hall, made the motion to deny the annexation
proposal. “It’s a small city that has ambitious plans. Hats off to
them for pursuing their 2030 long range plans … but I take pride in
representing the wishes of constituents,” he said.
Commissioner Craig Lutz, who seconded the motion,
said that his action reflected the will of the people. But, he
commented that municipalities, such as Oakwood, generally have a
higher standard for developments than counties. “I am concerned that
landowners could come to the commission and have something built
that is way lower than (Oakwood’s) standards,” he said.
After the meeting, Oakwood Manager Brown said the
city would continue to seek a link to the lake via annexation. The
county’s denial of road annexation nixed Oakwood’s initial course of
action, but Oakwood can take other routes, he said. These include
annexation of specific properties and annexation through community
engagement. Each would require a piecemeal approach to obtain
properties connecting the city limits to the lake. Brown indicated
that although the outcome of the commission meetings was not what he
sought, he anticipates further “engagement with the public” about
coming into the city.
“Our vision doesn’t stop. We can pursue other
options,” he said.
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