My wife and I have lived on Lake Bennett behind Frank’s Old Mill Restaurant for over 25 years. A proposed Folia Crossroads development threatens to destroy this beautiful watershed, which is the oldest lake in Fayette County, and has historical value.
Since we have lived here, we have seen the lake get progressively shallower to the point it now averages only about 4 to 5 feet in depth. Recent upstream construction has accelerated this contraction.
The neighbors fear, rightly so, that the erosion during the proposed construction will exacerbate the demise of this already-fragile watershed.
It would be impossible to prevent erosion, even with silt fences. Subsequent rains will dump an unacceptable amount of stormwater run-off into this lake that, because of diminished capacity, will lead to flooding.
The developer proposes to add 265 homes adjacent to the lake. After subtracting proposed commercial and wetlands, those homes will be built on 13 acres. That averages 20 homes per acre!
This tract of land is completely surrounded by R-70 zoning, which is “2 acres per home.” The proposed Folia development is totally out of character with the surrounding area. It is “spot zoning” at its worse.
Such high-density residential belongs near downtown Fayetteville in keeping with the Main Street theme, not three miles away.
Sadly, it appears that the Fayetteville City Council is poised to approve this rezoning. They like the additional property and sales taxes that they foresee.
However, that will come at a price by endangering the already-troubled shopping centers in downtown Fayetteville. And the additional high-density residential will bleed the older, more vulnerable, apartment complexes in the city and county.
Considering the Pinewood development one mile away, if this rezoning is approved as proposed, Fayetteville will become a tale of two cities.
J.D. Holmes
Fayetteville, Ga.
