Cornelia approves Level Grove mini-storage expansion

CORNELIA, Ga. — The Cornelia City Commission approved a request Tuesday night allowing a planned mini-storage development along Level Grove Road to expand onto a previously proposed commercial corner, ending months of debate over the project’s design, market impact and proximity to a historic cemetery.

Commissioners voted 3-1 to approve an amendment to the conditional use for the property at 1509 Level Grove Road, allowing Blue Bird Mini Storage LLC to construct additional self-storage buildings on the front portion of the site. Commissioner Mark Reed cast the lone dissenting vote.

The decision followed a public hearing and lengthy discussion focused on whether the highly visible property near Ga. Hwy. 365 was the best location for additional storage units or whether it should remain available for another commercial use.

Developer cites stormwater concerns, redesign

James Urban, the civil engineer for the project, told commissioners the developer’s original plan called for a retail commercial use on the corner of the property.

Urban said that during the detailed design process, engineers determined the required stormwater retention pond would take up significantly more space than originally anticipated, reducing the amount of usable area for a retail user.

“The retention pond took up more room in the retail commercial corner area than what we expected,” Urban said.

He said the remaining retail area would be only slightly more than 100 feet deep, making it difficult to market.

Rather than leave the area unused, Urban said the developer requested adding two more self-storage buildings to the site.

Urban presented updated renderings showing landscaping plans and architectural features intended to improve the appearance of the development along Level Grove Road. He said the city’s landscaping requirements are more extensive than many municipalities, requiring trees, shrubs and landscape buffers around the property.

He also said existing trees along the roadway would remain because they are located within the right-of-way and cannot be removed.

Cemetery concerns addressed

The project had drawn attention in recent months because of its proximity to the Level Grove Cemetery and graves belonging to the Wilmont family.

Urban told commissioners the graves in question are located within a Georgia Power transmission easement adjacent to the property. He said structures cannot be built within the easement and that the proposed storage buildings would remain more than 50 feet away from the grave sites.

During the public comment period, resident Audrey Davenport questioned whether construction activity appeared closer to the graves than the plans indicated.

Urban said some of the activity residents observed was related to work near the Georgia Power easement and not construction of buildings near the burial sites.

Ward 2 Commissioner Janice Griggs, who has helped maintain the cemetery for nearly two decades, said she met with developer Todd Campbell following concerns raised at the June meeting.

Griggs told Now Georgia that after meeting with Campbell she believes the project will not interfere with the graves.

“They are not encroaching from the cemetery at all,” Griggs said. “They’re not coming close enough because of the offset, I guess they won’t be close enough to the actual graves to be a problem to us.”

Griggs said the developer agreed to install a security fence and assist with cleanup and improvements to the area between the cemetery and the development.

She also reiterated that the graves at issue are located within the Georgia Power easement.

“The closest part is going to be on the side to side behind the hotel,” Griggs said. “Sure, they’re closest there. It’s not going to interfere with the graves.”

ZeAndre Ali Shakur Wilmont, who raised concerns about the project’s proximity to his family’s graves during the June meeting, did not attend Tuesday’s meeting and did not respond to a request for comment from Now Georgia by press time.

Reed questions use of prime commercial property

Reed, who also opposed the request when commissioners considered it in June, said his concerns were not about storage facilities themselves but about the use of a highly visible highway business property.

“We’re not in the business of picking winners and losers,” Reed said during the meeting. “Even if the county was oversaturated, it still is right by right to build storage buildings.”

However, Reed said he believed the corner property had greater potential as another type of commercial development.

“I just feel like that this is a commercial lot, a highway business lot,” Reed said. “Maybe we made a mistake when we approved the previous buildings.”

After the meeting, Reed told Now Georgia his opposition was based on the economic opportunity the property represents.

“There’s only so much property that is highway business, and it’s all about location,” Reed said. “I just personally felt like that corner lot on 365 and Level Grove Road has more potential as a commercial endeavor than just a storage building.”

Reed said a different commercial use could create jobs and generate sales tax revenue for the city.

“It’s not about storage buildings to me,” Reed said. “It’s about the proper use of the potential revenue coming.”

Previous storage approval remains in place

City officials clarified that Tuesday’s vote only applied to the front corner parcel of the development.

City Manager Donald Anderson said the rear portions of the property had already received conditional-use approval for self-storage about a year ago and were not affected by Tuesday’s decision.

“The back two lots have already been approved,” Anderson said. “They’re going to be storage units.”

Anderson said the developer’s delay in moving forward was related to obtaining approval from Georgia Power because of the transmission easement crossing the property.

He said that even if commissioners had rejected Tuesday’s request, storage units would still have been built on the previously approved parcels.

“The back part is going to be storage units,” Anderson told Now Georgia after the meeting. “It’s going to be fenced, it’s going to be landscaped. It’s not going to interfere with the cemetery.”

Supporters cite traffic concerns

Resident Jonathan Mark spoke in favor of the proposal, saying he believed storage units would have less impact on traffic than other possible commercial uses.

“I’m not opposed to the storage units,” Mark said. “I personally think the storage units would bring a lot less traffic and impact into that area.”

Mark said he preferred the project over another convenience store or similar business.

Commission debates demand

Commissioner Don Bagwell questioned whether there was enough demand for additional storage units, noting concerns about vacancies at other facilities.

He asked whether the developer had conducted enough research to ensure the project would provide a viable business rather than create excess inventory.

Urban said questions about market demand would be better answered by the applicant but said his firm has worked on numerous self-storage projects.

He said he once believed the market was saturated but has continued to see new facilities fill quickly, particularly climate-controlled storage.

Bagwell later said he believed the commission was limited by previous approvals and the history of the property.

“I don’t think we can reinvent this wheel,” Bagwell said. “I think we have to have faith in the developers that they believe, in spite of the vacancies that exist in this city, that they are going to offer quality product that will keep them successful.”

With the approval, the developer can move forward with the amended plan for the front corner parcel while the previously approved storage portion of the project remains unchanged.