The Fannin County Board of Commissioners, during their December 10 meeting, approved a right-of-way easement, which will allow Hawthorne Ventures, LLC to construct tendons under the social security office building.
According to representative John Kieffer, the tendons are necessary to build a retaining wall for the group’s Mixed Use Development project, which will house retail space and a parking deck where the United Methodist Church once stood in downtown Blue Ridge.
When asked if the tendons would be visible Kieffer said, “No. They’d start 8 feet below the grade and they’d go down at a 20% angle. They’d be 12 to 15 feet deep or some of them as deep as 40 feet.”
He said the parking deck will feature 186 parking spots and will likely cost $5.00 to park.
“It would allow two levels of parking,” Kieffer said. “One you could enter from the lower level on the back street and then go up the hill and enter the upper level from the back street as well without needing ramps in the parking deck. It’s a very efficient layout and it will do a lot to help alleviate some of the parking concerns in downtown and most importantly it’s all paid for with private investment.”
Chairman Stan Helton said, “So when you’re spending all your money instead of us, uh, something that’s been talked about in the past, spending a lot of taxpayer money to build a parking deck.
We won’t need that.”
Kieffer replied, “Hopefully this investment will go a long way in solving your parking problems.”
Keiffer said he believes several hundred jobs will be created during the construction process and 100 or more permanent jobs long-term.
Post One Commissioner Earl Johnson said, “I’m very glad to hear that private money is going to fund this.”