Senior living complex approved at Gateway Lane

The site is located on the north side of Exchange Boulevard between Loganville Highway and Harry McCarty Road at the eastern edge of The Gateway at University Parkway mixed-use development. The Gateway currently has commercial uses including a variety of restaurants, offices, retail, medical uses, a gym and a hotel. The Gateway has existing apartments and is underway to deliver additional apartments and attached townhomes.

The development will include a maximum of 200 apartment units in one four-story building. The apartments will come in a variety of floor plans, which are exclusively one- and two-bedroom units.

Relief was granted from the parking space minimum requirement of 2.5 spaces per unit, allowing for 1.25 spaces per unit, or 250 parking spaces. The minimum floor area for one-bedroom units was reduced from 800 square feet to 764 sq. ft. and the maximum density of eight units per acre was lifted, allowing for 25.32 units per acre.

Additionally, variances were approved for parking encroachment into building setbacks, roof pitch requirements, wall heights, planted buffer provisions and exterior finish materials.

The staff report recommended denial of the application due to not meeting the criteria of a PUD. In its report, staff noted the proposed development may result in a use that “could cause excessive or burdensome use of existing streets, transportation facilities, utilities or schools.”

A traffic study was not provided as part of the applications nor did the city include one as a condition with the approval.

OTHER BUSINESS

Also during the Winder City Council’s voting session on April 2, the council voted on the following items:

• Preliminary Plat approval for a property located at 0 Hwy 211, requesting to subdivide into 173 lots in a Planned Unit Development (PUD) was approved unanimously. The applicant is set to create 173 single-family lots with a variety of single-family housing that includes two-story homes ranging from a minimum of 1,650 square feet to 2,200 square feet of heated space. The density is 2.56 lots per acre. The development, called The Hills at Cedar Creek, will include amenities such as 5.8 acres of open space, a walking trail that connects to the city’s master trail plan, pool, cabana, playfield and playground, volleyball court, tennis court and par course. An annexation and rezone application for this development to PUD zoning was approved with conditions by the city council on May 3, 2022.
• A rezone for a property located at 274 E. Athens St. from industrial (I) to downtown zone (DT was approved unanimously with conditions, including bringing all code violations into compliance before the issuance of any permit and the formal submission of a combination plat within six months. The combination plat will combine the three parcels being rezoned to comply with the minimum standards of the downtown zoning district requirement.
• An application for rezoning a two-acre parcel from agricultural (AG) to neighborhood commercial (B1) for a property at 461 Gainesville Hwy. to construct three moderately sized medical office buildings, situated across the street from the Stone Haven development and beside the Publix at Winder Hill, was denied in a 4-3 vote, with Mayor Jimmy Terrell’s vote to deny breaking a 3-3 tie. Councilmembers Kobi Kilgore, Travis Singley and Sonny Morris opposed the denial. “We have enough problems in that half mile stretch right in there,” said Terrell. The applicant can reapply for the rezone in six months.
• An annexation and rezoning from unincorporated Barrow County light industrial district (M-1) to the City of Winder’s multifamily residential (R-3) for a 31.36-acre property located at 0 Loganville Hwy. was denied unanimously. The applicant, Retter Enterprises, Inc. proposed a townhome community consisting of 162 single-family attached units. The applicant also requested multiple variances including allowing garage doors to exceed 50% of the overall width of the front façade, requesting for 77% of the overall width. Additionally, variances to reduce the minimum lot size from 10,000 square feet to 3,000 square feet, reduce the minimum front yard setback from 35 feet to 15 feet, increase maximum building coverage from 30% of the total lot area to 45% of the total lot area and exceed the 25% maximum land area for impervious surface limit for land area in the watershed to 32% of land area.
• The final plat for 30 Wade Street was approved unanimously.
• The final plat for 0 Olevia Street was approved unanimously.
• The first reading and consideration of a motion to amend Chapter 3 (Alcoholic Beverages) of the City of Winder’s Code of Ordinances, establishing an entertainment district for the City of Winder was approved unanimously.
• The first reading of an amendment to Article X (Sign Regulations) of the City of Winder’s Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, amending Section 10-14: Signs which require no permit, and for other purposes was approved unanimously.
• An alcohol resolution for the 2024 Smokey Gringo Taco Bar Anniversary celebration on Saturday, June 22, 2024, from 6:00- 10:30 p.m. or any weather-related rescheduled date to be held on North Jackson Street between East Athens Street and East Candler Street pending permit execution, staff approval and payment of fees was approved 5-1 with Kilgore opposed.
• A resolution to allow the Winder Fire Department to conduct State Fire Inspections and plan reviews was approved unanimously.
• An agreement with Inframark, LLC, also known as ESG Operations, for the operations, maintenance and management of the city’s Highway 53 Water Treatment Plant, Cedar Creek and Marburg Wastewater Treatment Plants, and the wastewater collection system was approved unanimously.
• A memorandum of understanding with the Barrow County Community Foundation, Inc., Georgia, regarding the betterment upgrades requested by the City at the new CFIT Park was approved unanimously.
• An intergovernmental agreement between Barrow County, the Barrow County School District, and the City of Winder for the tax sale of properties was approved unanimously.
• A resolution to appoint Thomas Taylor, utility department field operations manager, to serve as the city’s voting delegate on the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia’s Election Committee was approved unanimously.
• A resolution to authorize the exercise of eminent domain for two parcels located on Clyde Boyd Road was approved unanimously.
• Dedication of utility easements for a parcel on Clyde Boyd Road and a parcel on Rockwell Church Road was approved unanimously.
• A purchase order for $66,300 for the purchase of a Kubota KX057 tractor from Gene & Matt Tractor was approved unanimously. This is a budgeted expenditure.
• A purchase order for $40,600 for the purchase of an F150 extended cab truck from Akins Ford for the Gas Department was approved unanimously. This is a budgeted expenditure.
• A purchase order for $73,105.03 for the purchase of a Chevrolet 3500 HD Truck from Hendrick Chevrolet for the Gas Department was approved unanimously. This is a budgeted expenditure.
• The surplus of truck three city trucks due to exceeding the reasonable repair costs to the vehicles was approved unanimously.
• A purchase order for $223,685.00 to MHC Kenworth as the low-bid available bidder was approved unanimously.
• A purchase of a tandem dump truck was approved unanimously. This is for use by the wastewater collections department and is a budgeted expenditure. This will replace a Mack dump truck being surplussed.
• The surplus of a list of various office supplies and equipment provided by Chief Information Officer John Rork was approved unanimously.
• An event consultancy agreement with Kristin Edwards for a term of six months was approved unanimously. Edwards will be compensated $6,500 per month for the term of the agreement, totaling $39,000. Edwards will be issued a 1099 by the city for all payments received. Her services will include on-site event management, management and coordination of private and outdoor event rentals, day-of-event execution, budget monitoring, facility management, private event attendance scheduling and management of all event inquiries.
• A professional services agreement for legal services to the City of Winder with the firm Smith, Welch, Webb and Whit, LLC was approved unanimously.