Page 6C November 28, 2018
Reporter
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Commis-
sioners denied on Tuesday,
Nov. 6 a McDonough de-
veloper's request to build an
RV (Recreational Vehicle)
park at the comer of High
Falls and Buck Creek roads.
Brian Marshburn applied
to re-zone a 15.29-acre
tract from commercial to a
manufactured home district
for the purpose of operating
a luxury RV park. In addi-
tion, Marshbum also asked
for a variance because the
county ordinance requires
a tract to be at least 25 acres
in size in order to.have a
campground.
Marshburn told com-
missioners his park, which
would be located about a
mile east ofi-75, would
cater to travelers heading to
and from the northem U.S.
states and south Florida. He
proposed 69 pull-through
spaces with 20 cabins but
said he does not intend
to build any cabins at this
point.
David Crawford, who
has owned the 15.29-acre
tract along with his son for
the past 15 years, said he
had a similar contract set
up with Dean Huckeba to
create an RV park there
about a decade ago. He said
commissioners approved
a conditional use for the
development at the time
but it was never built. He
said Marshburn's plan is
largely the same as the one
Huckeba presented.
A number of High Falls
residents opposed the pro-
posed project.
Buck Creek Road resident
Irene Muckenfuss said High
Falls already has a reputa-
tion for crime and said the
new park would only add
to it. Muckenfuss said High
Falls' existing campgrounds
are already a problem and
she fears it would devalue
her property, cause dam-
age from water run-off and
increase traffic.
Buck Creek Road
residents Steve and Susan
Wade, who own an adjacent
RV park, said they live at
their park and have made
themselves a part of the
community. Susan Wade
urged commissioners to
allow Marshburn, who
has also bought the High
Falls Hideaway and Camp-
ground property, to use
that location to prove that
he has good intentions and
would properly manage his
proposed RV park.
"We just want him to
prove himseltT,' Wade said.
Buck Creek Road resi-
dent Brenda Lee said High
Falls rental areas are full of
weekend revelers that keep
her from sleeping.
Lee urged commissioners:
"Come spend the night with
me on the weekend, and I'll
show you what it's like"
Boxankle Road resident
Jan Knecht said she fears the
proposed park would take
away revenue from High
Falls State Park's camp-
ground and said it could
also strain the county's
water system.
Kimble Oliver who owns
nearby High Falls Water
Park, told commissioners
he fears Marshburn's park
will have full-time residents
and said many of High
Falls' crime and appearance
issues could be solved with
better county code enforce-
ment.
Lakeshore Drive AMn
Crusan said he's concemed
about the environmental
impact on High Falls Lake.
When allowed to respond
to the objectors, Marshbum
said he's not marketing
his park to the "riffraff"
element. He said he went
to the High Falls State Park
campground on Columbus
Day and saw it was fully
booked. He said his park
would be designed to take
on additional travelers that
did not have room at the
state park.
Marshburn said his
proposed park would be
fully staffed with an on-site
manager 24 hours a day,
would have an electronic
gate, "total" landscaping and
a separate septic tank for
each parking space. He said
he would charge $35 to $40
per night to stay at the park
and said residents would
not be allowed to stay more
than 30 days at a time.
After about 40 minutes of
discussion, District 3 com-
missioner John Ambrose
motioned to deny Marsh-
bum's re-zoning request.
District 4 commissioner
George Emami, who said
he was concemed about
the high density impact
of Marshbum's proposal
of 69 parking spaces and
individual septic tanks on
just over 15 acres, seconded
Ambrose's motion. Com-
missioners then voted 5-0
to deny the re-zoning.
The Monroe County
Planning & Zoning board
previously denied Marsh-
bum's request at an Oct.
29 meeting, but commis-
sioners had the final say on
Nov. 6.
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@myrncr.net
Monroe County Com-
missioners denied on
Tuesday, Nov. 6 a request to
build a mini storage facil-
ity on Hwy. 41 South just
rlorth of Sanders Road.
'Pea Ridge Road resident
Mike Winget, who owns
the 13.93-acre tract at 6923
Iqwy. 41 South, asked com-
missioners for a condition-
al use variance in com-
i
mercial to build the storage
facility on the tract, which
he bought several years ago
When it was an abandoned
ffailer park.
Winget, who said the pro-
posed storage facility would month, Winget could have
only be built on three acres built the storage facility
of the tract, said he would on his commercial tract
have a fence all the way without requiring commis-
around it, an electronic gate sioners' approval.
with a timer, security light- The lone proponent of
ing, a retention pond and the project was Winget's
a wooden privacy fence son, Old Popes Ferry Road
separating his property resident Brandon Winget,
from that of his neighbor to who said his father, a dassic
the south. Winget said he car collector, intended the
has already invested about facility more for personal
$225,000 in the property use than for other users
and said he will have spent and said he thinks his
well over $400,000 by the father will end up losing
time the storage facility is money on the investment.
completed. A number of nearby
Monroe County zoning residents opposed Winget's
officer Anita Buice told request.
commissioners that until Heritage Drive resident
a recent zoning ordinance Garrett Gordon, who lives
revision was completed last behind the tract, said the
proposed storage facility
would harm residential
property values, create
noise issues and potentially
heighten crime in the area.
He said a storage facility
was not compatible with
the surrounding residential
areas.
Sanders Road resident
Dr. Mary Logan told com-
missioners she pays over
$8,000 annually in county
property taxes despite not
using any county services.
"I'm getting jack from
you guys" Logan said
sharply.
Logan said she's not
impressed with the county's
zoning policies and said
she doesn't think Winget
has shown any concern for
his neighbors. Logan said
many surrounding homes,
including hers, are valued
at more than $1 million
and said those residents
wouldn't be the ones using
the storage facility.
Sanders Road resident
Paul Harris told commis-
sioners he's a retired sher-
iff's deputy and said he's
seen first-hand the bug and
rodent infestation created
by storage units when he
had to evict citizens while
on the job.
Klopfer Road resident
Stacey Nestor, an attorney,
said she was representing
her sister and brother-
in-law Shelly and Rich-
ard Spivey, who live on
Heritage Circle. Nestor
said Winget was proposing
20,1300 total square feet of
metal buildings (100 10 x
20-foot units). She said a
gate won't keep crime out
and said the facility would
also cause an increase in
trucks and moving vans us-
ing area roads. Nestor also
agreed with Gordon that
property values would drop
as a result of the proposed
facility.
"I don't care what any-
body says. Nobody wants
to buy a house next to a
storage unit," Nestor said.
"I don't care if it's the Taj
Majal of storage units. And
they sure don't want to buy
a house for a $1 million
across the street from it"
Heritage Drive resident
Don Desroches and Sand-
ers Road resident David
Rowntree both said they
too oppose the proposed
storage unit.
Lorraine Woods Drive
resident Bowden Oakes
said he was concerned that
if the storage units were a
money drain like Brandon
Winget suggested, then
Michael Winget could sell
the property and it might
deteriorate and become the
neighbors' problem. Oakes
suggested Winget find
space on his own property
to store his belongings.
Jerry Lumley, an attorney
representing the Glen Mer-
ry and North Rivoli Farms
homeowners' associations,
also opposed the variance
request, saying Winget's
plan changed since official
notice was initially given to
neighbors about the pro-
posed variance request.
Lumley said, "There's
nobody in the community
who wants this."
District 3 commissioner
John Ambrose, in whose
district the proposed stor-
age facility would be built,
then addressed Lumley's
comment, saying he didn't
appreciate the Macon-
based attorney telling
commissioners how to do
Monroe County's business.
District 2 commissioner
Eddie Rowland said he felt
for Winget because the
applicant owns a commer-
cial tract and has property
rights. Rowland said he
wasn't sure what to suggest
for Winget to do with the
property if his storage unit
was rejected. -
Winget then replied to
Logan's comments on how
much she pays in taxes by
stating he pays $46,000
annually in county prop-
erty taxes and owns four
commercial buildings on
Rivoli Road. Winget said
he wouldn't spend so much
money on the storage
building project if he didn't
intend for it to look good
and be successful.
Winget then said of his
neighbors' concerns: "I
really don't wanna make
people mad at me. I cer-
tainly don't wanna drop the
value of anything."
After about 45 minutes
of discussion, District
1 commissioner Larry
Evans motioned to deny
Winget's variance request,
which was seconded by
Ambrose. Commissioners
then approved by a 4-0 vote
to deny Winget's request.
District 4 commissioner
George Emami abstained.
The Monroe County
Planning & Zoning board
previously denied the
request at an Oct. 29 meet-
ing, but commissioners had
the final say on Nov. 6.
-L
P
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NOTICE OF PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF FORSYTH
Notice is hereby given that the proposed budget for the City of Forsyth for the year 2019
will be submitted to the Mayor and Council of the City of Forsyth at the December 3, 2018 City
Council meeting at 6:00 PM, or as soon thereafter as the matter may be reached, at Council
Chambers at Alderman Hall, 5 West Adams Streetl
A copy of the proposed budget is on file in the office of the Clerk of the City of Forsyth and
may be examined and inspected by the public at such ptace during regular bus ness hours.
On December 3, 2018, at 6:00 PM, or as soon thereafter as the matter may be reached,
the Mayor and Council of the City of Forsyth at Council Chambers at Alderman Hall will conduct
a PUBLIC HEARING at which time any persons shing to be heard on the budget may appear.
And on the 17th day of December, 2018 at 6:00 PM or as soon thereafter as the matter
may be reached, the Mayor and Count! of the City of Forsyth at Council Chambers at Alderman
Hall will consider the adoption of a resolution enacting the operating budget for the City of Forsyth
for the year 2019.
This 19t" day of November, 2018
MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORSYTH
] " . L
