There is nothing prohibiting a property owner from cutting timber. The problem is when the rules are not followed and an approved development plan has not been secured. That was the case with property owner 54 Development, Inc. and two parcels the company owns along Ga. Highway 54 East in Fayetteville. The city attorney is currently preparing a letter to CEO Perry Knight outlining the company’s obligations.
The clear-cut project on property situated between Hwy. 54 East and three residential developments included a 12.6-acre tract, located between Weatherly Drive and Knight Way, and much of a 1.55-acre tract immediately to the west. These and another .9-acre tract to the east are owned by Jonesboro-based 54 Development, Inc. Perry Knight is listed as the company’s CEO.
With the previously dense stand of trees now clear-cut and the land bare and littered with remnants of fallen trees, some residents have likened the area to a war zone and they wonder what will become of the property.
In a July 2 email pertaining to trees illegally harvested from the property along Hwy. 54, Fayetteville Community Development Director Brian Wismer said the property owner of the undeveloped tract hired a timber harvesting company to clear the land. The city informed the representative from the timber company of the city’s ordinance which prohibits this practice.
“When we discovered that they decided to move forward anyway, most of the work had already been done. The city had them stop all activity until further notice. At that time, we notified the timber company and the property owner that citations were forthcoming,” said Wismer.
City Manager Joe Morton said property cannot be clear-cut without an approved development plan which includes re-planting and landscaping. Such a plan would have gone before the planning and zoning commission but was not submitted, Morton said, adding his belief that the lumber contractor had done most of the up-front work for the owner.
Wismer after a July 8 meeting with the city attorney said a notice is being prepared for the owner spelling out the violations, inquiring about his plans for the property, outlining the areas of infraction and asking how he intends to remedy the problem. The owner has 14 days to respond to the city’s letter, Wismer added.
Wismer said civil penalties and a three-year moratorium on developing the area could be forthcoming.
The city’s goal, said Wismer, is to have the owner plant trees in at least the most visible areas of the property, both along the highway buffer and along the perimeter areas of the property.
The owner will also be responsible for damage done to a fire hydrant and to a portion of the stormwater drainage curbing.
