Politics & Government
Oconee County Consultant Says Mars Hill Road Widening Will Adversely Affect Existing Homeowners Along The Corridor
The increased traffic is going to make it unattractive for people to stay in their houses, Bill Ross told a Citizens Advisory Committee.
Oconee County consultant Bill Ross offered a sympathetic but decidedly negative view of the future for home owners fronting on Mars Hill Road once the widening project is complete in March of 2018.
The increased traffic is going to make it unattractive for people to stay in their houses, Ross told the Citizens Advisory Committee on Land Use and Transportation Planning on Nov. 10.
The traffic also will make the homes unattractive to renters, Ross said, putting pressure on the homeowners to convert the properties to small business use.
But there is limited demand for this type of small commercial property, Ross acknowledged.
Ross said the residents along the roadway will be better off if the overlay district he is proposing and which is up for review at a meeting from 3 to 7 p.m. tomorrow is adopted by the Board of Commissioners next year than if the overlay district is not put into place.
Tomorrow’s meeting will be held at the Community Center in Veterans Park and will employ a drop-in format allowing citizens to review the proposed overlay ordinance and comment on it.
For more on this story, with a video of Ross’ comments, go to Oconee County Observations.
Pictured: Bill Ross at Land Use Committee meeting.