Politics & Government
Presbyterian Homes Representative Says Third Site For Continuing Care Facility Is The Right One
The first site was too expensive. The second site had infrastructure problems. The third one is just right, the PHG representative says.
Presbyterian Homes of Georgia, in its third attempt, says it finally has found the right location for its Athens area continuing care retirement community.
Its first selected location on Bishop Farms Parkway between Butler’s Crossing and Watkinsville turned out to be too expensive, Jon Williams of Williams and Associates told the Oconee County Planning Commission on March 16.
The second choice, on Rocky Branch Road, required too much investment in sewer infrastructure, according to Williams.
But this third site on U.S. 441 at Hog Mountain Road is just right. It meets the goals of being “the right piece of property at the right location,” Williams said.
Not everyone agrees with that assessment, with opponents particularly concerned about traffic issues because the site’s main entrance and exit is on U.S. 441--a designated north-south freight corridor with a 55 mph speed limit.
The Planning Commission, having tabled the rezone request by PHG last month, is to take up the issue again on April 20, but whether those opponents as well as proponents will have a chance to speak again remains undetermined.
For more on the story, go to Oconee County Observations.
Note: An earlier version mistakenly listed the speed limit on U.S. 441 as 65 mph. I apologize for the typo.