Dacula Annexation Case Heading to Arbitration

In this week's "Three Questions With the Mayor," Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks provides an update on the latest city news and discusses what happens next regarding the annexation of a 157-acre tract of land just outside the city limits.

Dacula Patch: What's new in Dacula this week?

Mayor Wilbanks: The City of Dacula/Gwinnett County Arbitration Panel meets on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012 at the Eastside Precinct building at 2273 Alcovy Road at 9 a.m. to determine if Gwinnett County has a valid objection under the law, and, if so, to hear that objection. The public is invited to attend, but no public input will be heard. If readers plan to attend, they should be aware that seating is limited.

Dacula Patch: What is something Dacula residents need to know?

Mayor Wilbanks: Politics is heating up for the General Election cycle. So we will begin to see political signs sprouting out of the ground as we near the time for the election. I want to remind candidates, political committees, and the public that signs must not be placed on street rights-of-way and candidates or their agents should have permission from property owners before placing a political sign on private property. While the City often gives the candidate the benefit of the doubt, Georgia DOT is not so forgiving. Don’t be surprised if your political sign gets removed from City/County/State rights-of-way.

Dacula Patch: What happens next in the PEAK at University Parkway discussion/arbitration?

Mayor Wilbanks: Once the arbitration hearing is finished, the City will move forward with the process of annexing the property and changing the land-use to our Planned Mixed Use Development zoning district including any restrictions that the arbitration panel imposes as a condition of their hearing and for the time frame required by state law. At the same time the information needed for the Atlanta Regional Commission’ s DRI process will be forwarded to ARC. Once the recommendations of the ARC are received, the annexation and rezoning can be completed. 

Let’s review:

• The arbitration hearing does not prevent the City from annexing the property. Gwinnett County can only have a valid land-use objection. The City is annexing based on a request of the landowner, Walton Georgia, LLC, as provided in state law. The City is proposing to annex vacant land currently unconditionally zoned as C2 commercial and RA200 residential properties in Gwinnett County. Since the property loses zoning when annexed, the City is proposing to zone as a planned mixed use development in the City based on the concept map provided by the property owners.
• It should be noted that the City could, potentially, have avoided the arbitration by annexing the land with its current zoning. Preferring to be open and transparent, the City determined that changing the zoning would be proper at the time of the annexation.
• So is there any development like PEAK already in unincorporated Gwinnett County? That will be answered in the hearing. If so, the land-use argument put forward by Gwinnett County evaporates and in a perfect world, the arbitration panel would dismiss the objection by Gwinnett County.
• Are developments like the proposed PEAK at University Parkway encouraged in the comprehensive plans of either Gwinnett County and the City of Dacula? That will be determined by the arbitration panel. By reading the respective plans, the answer is yes on both counts. In the Research and Development Corridor of Georgia 316, Gwinnett County’s plan specifically encourages such developments, and the City of Dacula’s comprehensive plan specifically mentions PMU for this particular land area.

Developments of this magnitude and quality are rare, especially in this economic situation. I believe that PEAK at University Parkway  will be beneficial in bring jobs to our community, and that this is a win-win situation for the City of Dacula and Gwinnett County. It will anchor the western gateway to the City, provide economic development for our community, and shore up the County’s tax digest.

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