City talks condemnation, roadwork, subdivision regs

Mayor Moore said that, based on Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, the acquisitions have become necessary to provide adequate clearance to satisfy FAA safety requirements for the airport.

Acquiring the property rights will also enable the airport to start on a long-awaited runway leveling project to remove the currently displaced threshold by raising the runway at one end, an efficiency measure designed to minimize the air space the city needs to obtain.

Six parcels require air easements to clear trees and keep them clear in the future, while one property will need total acquisition to accommodate grading and the removal of a small building on the west side of the runway – all to improve landing and takeoff conditions for pilots.

As of last week’s meeting, City Hall had negotiated easement purchases for two parcels, leaving five properties outstanding: 610 Kiutuestia Creek Road, 65 Adams Drive, 456 S River Road, 1580 Blue Ridge Hwy, and 0 Airport Industrial Road.

According to City Attorney Marvin Harkins, the goal is to negotiate purchases for the remaining properties as well. But just in case, council members voted on Aug. 11 to adopt a resolution authorizing condemnation regarding the specific properties listed above.

Essentially, the resolution states the city’s determination that there is an “immediate need” to acquire the identified properties and, further, authorizes the use of condemnation to obtain property rights via eminent domain if needed, Harkins said.

“That does not mean that the idea is to condemn these properties,” Harkins clarified. “We have been negotiating with different property owners for the past month or so. It is the intention – the hope – to be able to successfully negotiate with folks without having to condemn anything.

“But we can’t use the tool of condemnation without passing this resolution, so it simply gives another tool in the toolbox.”

According to state law, the city must wait 30 days from passage of the resolution before filing any condemnations – if it were to come to that, which the city is aiming to avoid, Harkins reiterated.

And since the airport is located outside city limits, the Union County Commissioner’s Office is being asked to consent to the resolution so it can take effect.

Toward that end, Harkins hand-delivered a copy of the city resolution to Sole Commissioner Harold Collins’ office the morning after the meeting. He included a cover letter requesting that Collins adopt a consenting resolution, as well as a draft county resolution to ease the process.

Another big topic of meeting discussions was the Blue Ridge Street Improvement Project, with an approved action item ratifying the contract for Blairsville-based Colditz Trucking – the low bidder on the project – to get started as soon as possible.

Colditz will complete the Blue Ridge Street overhaul for $1,018,740.53, primarily to be paid with SPLOST proceeds. The city has scheduled an Aug. 20 preconstruction meeting to iron out certain project details, and work is expected to begin shortly thereafter.

Downtown traffic will be greatly disrupted during construction, as Blue Ridge Street will be resurfaced from the square to Earnest Street; the sidewalks in that corridor will be rehabilitated; stormwater drainage will be repaired at Merchants Walk and City Hall; and an elevated crosswalk/speed table will be installed as a safety upgrade to the existing crosswalk at City Hall.

Importantly, officials are aiming to keep one lane open throughout the project and said that all businesses in the work area will remain open amid construction, though City Hall parking will be closed. Colditz will be doing much of the work at night to minimize traffic impacts.

More information will be available to the public after the preconstruction meeting.

In other business, the council was supposed to hold a first reading Aug. 11 for new subdivision regulations after imposing a moratorium last month on the acceptance of applications for land disturbance and building permits “for work on properties of 1 or more acres” inside city limits.

But Harkins said that when he went to work on drafting the regulations, he ran into multiple situations he felt required council input. So instead of a first reading, the council scheduled an Aug. 25 work session that will be devoted to filling in specific blanks for Harkins.

As previously reported, Blairsville has no subdivision regulations for multifamily dwellings under five units, and the moratorium is allowing Blairsville to research options for higher-density developments for all subdivided properties inside the city moving forward.

Getting such regulations in place will set limits on what happens when a developer subdivides property to create residential or commercial subdivisions.

“The idea is that going from one parcel to many means you go from one use to many uses, including more trips on the road, more use of law enforcement and EMT resources, etc.,” Harkins said in July. “The (as-yet undrafted) subdivision regs will address all that.”

Councilman Tony Dyer remarked in the meeting last week that he wanted to minimize any new subdivision regulations to lessen the impact on property rights.

Also Aug. 11, the council greenlit the installation of a brand-new crosswalk on Blue Ridge Street. First Baptist Church requested the crosswalk and will be paying to install it.

The new crosswalk will span Blue Ridge Street from the First Baptist Church parking lot to the area in front of and between Union County Public Library and Vallant Bank, where people already park to cross the street for Sunday services.

First Baptist asked for crosswalk permission to improve pedestrian safety for attendees of its popular Sunday services, and also because it is planning to expand the church, which will take up parking space, meaning more people will be parking elsewhere to walk.

Once the crosswalk is installed, churchgoers who park at the library and bank, which are closed on Sundays anyway, will be able to walk across Blue Ridge Street amid safer traffic conditions.

Looking ahead, council members will be considering the church’s request for another new crosswalk on Earnest Street near the intersection of Georgia 515, as attendees also park at Bank OZK and walk to First Baptist on Sundays.

Lastly, the council and mayor held an executive session to discuss the property acquisition process for the airport, after which council members immediately adjourned the meeting.