News Release - January 21, 2008

New Council for 3-Acre Development Plan

In the spring of 2007, Towns County Commissioner Bill Kendall started working on a 3-acre plan for developers to consider –3-acre lots or 1-acre with 2-acres of green space. He appointed a group of citizens who are also concerned about the increased traffic and increased demands on this county’s infrastructure resulting from ¾ acre lots now allowed in subdivisions. The hope is that developers will agree to build conservation and environmentally friendly subdivisions.

This council is named the Towns County Mountain Conservation Council and is composed of seven members: Jack Miller, Joan Crothers, Charley Kraus, Lynne Marshall, Tracey Wikstrom, Henry Childs, Elaine Delcuze; Ad Hoc members: Zoe Shumaker, Grover Garrett, and Callie Moore. Site Advisor is Frank Riley, who will be personally working with developers in the implementation of certifying their development as a “Mountain Conservation Community” when they have complied with the standards set by the council.

There are a number of rewards for these complying developers, one being able to fast track the subdivision by not going through the Planning Commission, another will be a sign giving this development the designation of Mountain Conservation Community for all to see. Publicity articles on these environmentally friendly developments will also be given to the local media. If you are a developer who is interested in participating with this council, please call 706-435-9902.

Become a Mountain Conservation Community

Towns County developments meeting certain voluntary standards are eligible for designation as a “Mountain Conservation Community” (MCC). In addition to enjoying rapid site processing, fees waived and other benefits, they will receive:

Fast-track Subdivision Approval
Signage that identifies the subdivision as a Mountain Conservation Community and use of the MCC logo for promotional purposes.
Positive publicity, to include feature articles in the local newspapers and on the Towns County web site.

Those interested in the MCC designation should contact the Towns County Conservation Council at

706-435-9902

PLANT RESCUE: 706-745-9317

email: ivylog@alltel.net

To become a Mountain Conservation Community, the subdivision must follow a set of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for environmentally friendly development. These include the following:

Full compliance with all existing laws of the State of Georgia and Towns County.
Limited subdivision housing density. Acreage minimum shall be 3 acres of land per home site. To be achieved through conservation lot sizes and/or set-aside of green space.
No clear-cutting. Call Plant Rescue before moving dirt or clearing undergrowth, --as soon as possible.
Use of BMPs (Best Management Practices) for control of storm water runoff, the protection of stream banks, and prevention of gullies (riparian buffers).
Limited road grades.
Development of protective covenants which enforce and maintained these standards. (Detailed requirements are available at the Commissioner’s Office.)

The Conservation Council was founded in 2007 to assist Towns County government in implementing eco-friendly development standards and certification of
Mountain Conservation Communities.
706-435-9902