BALDWIN, Ga. — The proposed Cook Construction development will take center stage Tuesday as the Baldwin City Council holds its first public hearing on a request to annex and rezone approximately 45 acres of unincorporated Habersham County.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, in the Baldwin Municipal Courtroom at 155 Willingham Ave. The Cook Construction annexation and rezoning petition is the only item listed under public hearings.
The council previously approved the first readings of both the annexation and rezoning ordinances by a 5-0 vote.
Cook proposal faces public scrutiny
The revised proposal covers approximately 65.92 acres, including about 45 acres currently in unincorporated Habersham County and 20.92 acres already inside Baldwin.
Cook Construction is seeking to bring the unincorporated portion into Baldwin and rezone the property to Highway Business. The concept plan presented to council includes potential grocery, retail, restaurant, medical office and senior living uses.
Cook attorney Alice W.S. Price told the council last week that the revised application is smaller than the proposal considered earlier this year. A roughly 42-acre tract that did not have a specific development plan has been removed.
The application also uses Georgia’s 60% annexation method rather than the 100% method originally pursued.
That distinction is significant because one property owner, Martha Stuckey, has not agreed to sell her property to Cook. Price told council members that Cook has the support of 98% of the landowners in the area and that negotiations with Stuckey remain ongoing.
Under the 60% method, unanimous agreement from property owners is not required if the statutory landowner and elector thresholds are met.
Price said Stuckey is not opposed to the development but has chosen to wait before committing to a sale.
The proposal has generated concerns about traffic, infrastructure, the future of Stuckey’s property and what type of development Baldwin ultimately would allow at the Ga. 365 and Duncan Bridge Road intersection.
City releases services report
The city has also released its annexation services report, outlining what Baldwin would provide if the property is annexed.
City Manager Tiera Morrison told NowGeorgia the report has been available to the public upon request at City Hall or by email.
“The report for the extension of services to the area proposed to be annexed has been available to the public upon request in accordance with O.C.G.A. § 36-36-35(d),” Morrison said.
The report says Baldwin would provide police, fire, garbage collection and maintenance of public roads that are the city’s responsibility following annexation.
It also says Baldwin plans to extend water mains into the annexed area and that a lift station and force main will be required for sewer service. Any water and sewer infrastructure improvements needed to serve the development, including the lift station, force main and necessary wastewater treatment improvements, would be the developer’s responsibility.
The report states that Baldwin’s existing personnel, equipment, facilities and infrastructure are adequate to provide the services outlined, with additional needs resulting from future development to be addressed through the city’s normal budgeting and development review processes.
Two public hearings planned
Tuesday’s hearing is the first of two Baldwin has scheduled on the annexation.
Mayor Doug Faust previously told Now Georgia the city wanted to provide residents with additional opportunity to comment and give officials time to address questions raised during the first hearing.
The second public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 1.
The city’s new public hearing procedure, approved unanimously at the previous meeting, establishes a process under which an associated presentation may last up to 20 minutes, followed by up to 10 minutes of public comment from those in favor and 10 minutes from those opposed.
Other business
The council also will address several items during Tuesday’s work session.
Those include the city’s purchasing policy, a radio maintenance intergovernmental agreement, the animal control intergovernmental agreement and a resolution concerning council meeting minutes from October through December 2025.
The animal control agreement is particularly notable following the council’s previous executive-session discussion of the matter. City Attorney Sammy Tomasello said that discussion involved potential litigation issues related to ongoing contract negotiations. The proposed agreement is expected to eventually return to the council for action in open session.
The council also will revisit its ACH policy under old business.
Finance Director Angela Adams previously explained that the proposed ACH system would allow the city to make electronic payments to vendors rather than relying primarily on paper checks. Council members raised concerns about maintaining council oversight of payments, and the issue was expected to return with a mechanism allowing council members to review and approve payment registers electronically.
No new business or department reports are listed on Tuesday’s agenda. The council is scheduled to enter executive session to discuss personnel.
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