The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved at its May 7 regular meeting a memorandum that could be the first step in a public-private partnership leading to the development of a convention center and arena in Stockbridge.

  To say such a deal is in its preliminary stages is an understatement. “We are literally on Step 1 of a 10,000-step process,” according to county attorney Patrick Jaugstetter.

  A key point by proponents of the measure was the fact that there is zero county funding commitment at this point. The developer, who has offered to donate 80 acres to the county should the agreement go through, will pay $100,000 for a feasibility study concerning the conference center and arena. If the study results are negative, the deal is off. If the project is deemed feasible and the county doesn’t want to go forward, it simply must reimburse the developer for the cost the study.

  The site in question is about 300 acres on the east side of I-75 and I-675, with access from Hwy. 138 as well as Flippen and Walt Stephens roads. The developers initially requested industrial and multi-family rezoning several months ago to allow about two million square feet of warehouse space along with some 600 residential units and some other uses. That proposal is consistent with the county’s future land use map, and county staff would have recommended approval with conditions before the new plan materialized.

  Under the new proposal, the warehouse space is gone and there is mostly single-family residential and a mixed-use area with office, retail and residential space coexisting. The developer would donate 30 acres for the municipal complex that includes the arena/convention center and an area reserved for a future mass transit project. Another 50 acres would be turned into county park and buffer space.

  Commissioner Bruce Holmes categorized the new plan as a commitment “to move completely away from warehouse development toward a quality-of-life development that would change the landscape of I-75 as far as the type of businesses we would attract to the area.”

  Holmes raised concerns that if the commissioners rejected this plan and denied the original rezoning request, the developers would have a good chance to prevailing in court and the massive warehouse complex would become a reality anyway.

  Board chair June Wood stated that she was very much in favor of the new zoning request, but she wanted to see the feasibility study address financial questions so that the eventual cost to taxpayers from the arena/convention center development would be clear. She added that she wanted county staff very much involved throughout the feasibility study process, and that stipulation was included when Holmes moved to approve the memorandum.

  Holmes also encouraged his fellow board members to consider what he called the “indirect impact” of the project, as in what other industry would be attracted to the area.   Commissioners Gary Barham and Johnny Wilson voted against the motion, expressing skepticism about the potential costs to the county.