The Locust Grove City Council took action at its August 3 regular meeting regarding two large industrial developments and an addition to the city’s cemetery.
The council approved architectural plans submitted by Atlas Collaborative Architects for “Project Red,” at 381 and 343 Davis Lake Road. Color elevation renderings were submitted for a proposed new industrial warehousing distribution building at the location. The building permit process includes a requirement that the mayor and council, acting as the city’s architectural review board, review the proposal and approve it.
According to city staff, the general concept is to construct a single-story rectangular building whose main entrance and vehicle access would face Colvin Drive and Davis Lake Road. The size of the building is being managed via alternating colors with large expanses of walls broken up by doors separated by varying wall widths. Various facades throughout the massive structure were also included as part of the plans.
In a related action, a development agreement related to “Project Red” between the city and GBLG Development Company was approved by the council. According to city staff documents, it defines the relationship between the city’s own transportation improvement planning and GBLG’s requirement related to GRTA and such issues as improvements with project crossing for adjacent to the Norfolk Southern railroad.
Officials said there will be a repayment based on traffic generation at the site in relation to the background traffic in the area, and that amount is typically much larger than what a traffic impact study would cost. It allow the city to begin engineering work for the area ahead of time for SPLOST V funding related to Bill Gardner Parkway and Hwy. 42.
In other business, the council approved architectural plans submitted for the M&M Waste Recycling Plant at 245 Walker Crossing. The general concept is a 10,000-square-foot distribution facility in the form of a single-story rectangular building where the main entrance and vehicle access face Walker Crossing. A number of restrictions were listed by city staff with regard to exterior materials standards.
Also approved was the initial design concept plan for the proposed Locust Grove Scatter Garden. The concept was produced by Falcon Design for a location in the Locust Grove Municipal Cemetery, west of the county-owned Locust Grove Recreation Center.
According to a city staff report, the design features areas designated for cremains scattering in a decorative garden setting, as well as a small ceremony space, seating, convenient access to parking, and memorial spaces for the names of those interred. The concept also allows for future demand potential with urn burial and/or columbarium wall options. Staff recommended approval of the initial design concept to proceed to the next phase of engineering and final layout.
The council approved an ordinance revising the operating and capital improvements budget of the city for the second quarter of the 2020 fiscal year. It was noted in the financial update that a new account was being created for CARES Act funding administered by the state, and that other funding sources are accounted regarding certain COVID-related aspects of the budget.
