Buford Planning Commission set to consider 50-acre annexation on Hall County road

Brian Wellmeier, The Times, Gainesville, Ga.
·1 min read

Apr. 7—An application to annex nearly 50 acres for the construction of two buildings to house an industrial/warehouse park on Bennett Road in Hall County will go before the city of Buford's Planning Commission Tuesday.

A similar request by Atlanta-based industrial real estate company Seefried Industrial Properties to annex the same five contiguous parcels on Bennett Road in Buford had been scheduled to go before the Hall County Commission in February, but the application was pulled before commissioners voted on the item.

Seefried Industrial Properties, which pledged to provide improvements to the intersection at Friendship and N. Bogan roads as well as an additional drive on Bennett Road, is requesting to rezone the property from agricultural-residential to light industrial for two warehouse/distribution facilities totaling 434,320 square feet.

"Parcels on the west are zoned M-1 (light industrial). The parcels to the north, east and south of the subject property are zoned (agricultural-residential)," a letter of intent by the applicant states. "As currently zoned, the property does not have reasonable economic use ... the proposed use will have minimal impact on utilities and schools."

If approved, the proposed development will be located less than a mile from both Friendship Elementary School and the Buford Corn Maze.

Seefried Industrial Properties states in the letter to city officials that the project would require three variances — one to allow up-tilt concrete construction, another to permit modular block retaining walls and a third for grading and replanting in the residential zoning buffers.

Hall County spokesperson Sarah Crowe said officials "cannot provide comment on potential pending arbitration" regarding the annexation request.

Buford's Planning Commission is expected to consider the request Tuesday, April 11.