Jackson County Ga residents, please join us in asking our County Zoning Commission to minimize business traffic on residential dirt roads.

A petition to allow an agri-entertainment venue on Lipscomb Lake Rd in Pendergrass Ga is currently in review with the County Zoning Commission.

The petition will allow the owners of 1671 Lipscomb Lake Rd to turn their A2 zoned property into a wedding venue. In the past 2 years, 5 such petitions were presented to the commission, and all were approved.

This is the first venue proposed on a narrow, county maintained dirt road. The proposed venue could bring an additional 400-800 cars per week through a road that is not capable of managing high volume traffic. If approved, it will set a county wide precedent that all A2 properties can be converted into agri-entertainment venues that can bring high traffic onto country roads without accounting for safety, road capacity or the increased cost to the county of road maintenance.

We ask for your support as members of Jackson County. Please send a message to the County Commissioners office that we want their help in keeping Jackson County's businesses thriving in safe and appropriate areas, and keeping our dirt roads safe for the residents.

Safety Concerns

1. Lipscomb Lake Road is a narrow dirt road. It is 12 feet wide in most places, and has a single lane bridge. If a fire truck or ambulance were needed by residents as guests were arriving or leaving an event, the emergency response vehicles would be significantly impeded in getting their vehicles through the traffic. 

2. This is a neighborhood where children play. Many of the homes do not have fully fenced properties because it is a currently a low traffic area. Approval of this business could force residents to either keep their children in doors during event traffic, or force them to add the expense of fully fencing their properties.

3. Car accidents are already an issue on this road. Several cars have rolled and collided because of the narrowness of the road. 

Road Maintenance Concerns

1. This is a county maintained dirt road. Once every 6-8 weeks, the county sends out a truck to scrape and smooth out the road. During the rainy seasons, the road suffers from erosion and deep ruts from the residents that live on the road. Increasing traffic from 20-30 cars a day to potentially 200 per event would cause significant wear on the road. This will cause increased maintenance costs to the county. It will also present a decline in the condition of the road for the residents living on Lipscomb Lake, Buffington, and surrounding roads.

2. Dust pollution during the dry months is an issue on any dirt road. The amount of dust that would be kicked up by potentially 400-800 cars per week is tremendous. 

This decision will set a precedent for all A2, neighborhoods in Jackson County. Please lend your support with this petition, by calling and writing to the County Commissioners office, and lend your support at the county hearing on August 15th at the courthouse. 5000 Jackson Parkway Jefferson Ga.