Statesboro Development News

[nova72asu]

Off topic, but I recently heard that a hotel may be going in Buckhead Plaza behind Walmart. If this is true, this will be two hotels and one getting added on to within a mile radius. The ones constructed in the 6.4 acre tract will also be included in the 1-mile radius.

I believe that request was withdrawn right before it went to council.

[MorganA15]

I believe that request was withdrawn right before it went to council.

If it did, i'm glad. That was a random location to put one. I'm still thinking that about the Holiday Inn.

[andremurra]

I just visited the Colorado Tex~Mex last night and it was awesome. There was only two other couples in the restaurant when we entered, but they have really fixed the place up on the outside and the inside - it looks imacculate. The food was very delicious and the presentation was excellent. If people find out about this place and give it a try, it will give El Sombrero a good run for its money. You get chips, salsa, and a guacamole cream for free. I ordered Chicken Stuffed Jalopenos and Chimichanga Cheesecake. It was all delicious. My friend and I were amazed at how much effort they took into the presentation of the food and maintaining great quality in food. El Sombrero seems to just slop the food onto a plate and bring it out within 2 minutes of ordering it. Honestly, I felt better with Tex~Mex taking longer to prepare the food. At "The Hat" sometimes I wonder if their food is just sitting there ready to be plopped onto a plate and served. There was a bar and they will be serving liquor. I hope everyone gives them a try. I will definitely be eating there more. I am just so excited that we are finally getting good restuarants for a change, where you leave satisfied and glad you visited.

[suburban george3]

I do like Statesboro. We have several customers in the area and usually stay in Statesboro due to the hotel/restaurant options. It seems as far as new development in the area, Statesboro reigns supreme. However, surrounding counties/town (Claxton comes to mind) seem to be drying up.

[andremurra]

Yeah, as far as the region goes, Statesboro is where everything is happening. Thats why Im so opposed of the proposed Interstate 3 route serving DINKY sylvania, totally ignoring our bustling growing city. I just dont care about them getting two more fast food restuarants and another gas station. I think we deserve interstate access more than anyone else. Bulloch County will be a 100,000+ county before we know it.

[MorganA15]

Yeah, as far as the region goes, Statesboro is where everything is happening. Thats why Im so opposed of the proposed Interstate 3 route serving DINKY sylvania, totally ignoring our bustling growing city. I just dont care about them getting two more fast food restuarants and another gas station. I think we deserve interstate access more than anyone else. Bulloch County will be a 100,000+ county before we know it.

I agree. They need to send it to, or close by somewhere that has potential. Statesboro is beyond potential. I mean, look at the industrial park. The largest Walmart distribution center in the world, a engine manufacturer that makes engines for almost every lawnmower (and more) out there, and a glass manufacturer from Minnesota. Then you have a 17,000-student college, and Statesboro/Bulloch County's population growth. Having another interstate come through, would be nothing but benefital to the area. Having another major route to get here, would A) Bring more job/industries here. B) Population growth. For those people who work in Savannah (or anywhere) and want to get out. This would be a quick and easy route for people who live here to get to Savannah. There's no good route to get to around the Augusta area. You have 80, but even I don't trust it. You go through a few small towns with a gas station and a McDonalds, and thats it.

If they want to help bring economic growth to this area, send the interstate through a place that is already stable. I believe that would be the smart thing to do.

[nova72asu]

I-3, I haven't heard anything about this, I need to look into it. I'm assuming the GDOT website has information on it.

I will have to check out Tex Mex

[poohsfolks]

The largest Walmart distribution center in the world

Not to nitpick, but the Statesboro DC is no longer the largest Wal-Mart DC. The 1999 expansion of the facility brought it to about 2 million square feet in size. But the Wal-Mart DC in Baytown (Houston), TX is 4 million square feet. The largest DC for a single company in the U.S.

Still, the decision of a company like Wal-Mart to locate a distribution center of this size in a community like Statesboro is a ringing endorsement of the city's potential. The same thing is happening in and around LaGrange, where Wal-Mart opened a DC a few years ago. The area is really growing. Now the Wal-Mart DC is being overshadowed by the construction of the new Kia manufacturing facility a few miles down I-85. Having a center the size and scope of Wal-Mart's shows that a community is a viable player in the industrial arena, be it logistics or manufacturing.

As for the possibility of an interstate highway being built between Savannah and Augusta, I wouldn't hold my breath. I agree that Savannah and Augusta should be connected by some type of expressway, signed as an Interstate or not. It just makes sense. But I don't see GDOT ever placing enough priority on such a route. They like to widen two-lane roads, but don't seem interested in building expressways. I certainly wouldn't expect to ever see the proposed I-3 constructed. Too much opposition from people in the mountains.

Edited September 25, 2006 by poohsfolks

[andremurra]

I believe there was another addition after the 1999 expansion too of 600,000 sq ft. The other expansion was a detached building but on the same property I think.

Yeah, Im pretty sure Jan's column in Business Monday was a waste of ink.

Edited September 26, 2006 by andremurra

[MorganA15]

Yeah, the past 3 weeks hasn't had anything of much interest to me.

There's a lot of development going on. I'm sure there's something to write about.

Edited September 26, 2006 by MorganA15

[deltasniper9]

Johnson Run:

Ok, my parents and I went there after they picked me up from a friends house. (I have been there before, during that parade of homes)

So we go in through the garage, the first thing I noticed is that there was like a thing coming from the ceiling and going down a couple of feet, I could jump up and touch it. (And the object was part of the ceiling, not a construction object). We go inside, well the upstairs in every single house is exactly the same, just 1 small room. The staircases don't even have handrails! And those windows are for decoration, there is only 1 window that is the upstairs, the other 2,3,4 are fake, and are trimmed in plastic or something. The master bedroom was 13x14 (we measured), I am only 14 years old and my bedroom is much bigger than that, my BATHROOM was even bigger than the ones the houses had. They shouldn't focus on "5 bedroom houses", because the bedrooms are insanely small. None of them are bigger than my parent's master bath main area. The dining room has no walls, its just there at the foyer (if you want to call the entrance a foyer)(AND SPEAKING OF THAT, one of the front doors(which are made of extremely cheap material) couldn't completely close. The dining room was small, about the 5x9 if im correct (we didn't measure). They brag about "SOLID COUNTERTOPS" in the kitchen, now these are solid, but that doesnt mean squat. The countertops are like, well I dont know, not granite or anything good. The bathrooms had those fiberglass tubs/showers. The kitchen was ok besides the lighting and the countertops, I have to say that because its open. The breakfast area is a piece of crap though. The den had 'cathedral' ceilings, which doesnt make up for its size. Speaking about that, one of the fireplaces wasn't even built correctly, it was just simply surrounded by nailed in wood or something, you could see through the ceiling if you looked from the bottom. Now you may be saying "Those houses were underconstruction, of course they were like that", well the ones we went into were completely finished, just not sold or cleaned out completely.

Same thing goes for Irongate, except the houses are more in the 3000-3900 square footage.

[MorganA15]

I heard that JR wasn't filling up as fast as they thought it would.

[andremurra]

Today at dinner, I was at a local church eating with my friend who goes there. I was sitting across from a particular person who is high up in local government and he was discussing with his friends at the table about new developments and such. He referred to a new development about to go up on either Old Register Road or Burkhalter consisting of over 400 homes. He then discussed another subdivision about to go up consisting of 160 homes. The subject was brought up from people at the table complaining about the traffic on Burkhalter and the Bypass. I introduced myself and he was really nice.

[MorganA15]

I can't believe how fast they're throwing up the Fairfield apartments. It looks like they have the electricty to two of them and the clubhouse. I hope they don't have problems after a few months since they threw it up so fast. I still like the Copper Beech townhomes. I loved The Garden District since it opened, but Copper Beech is growing on me.

The new Walmart is going to feed off all of these new subdivisions and residential communities.

I'm taking a wild guess, but im guessing that that new grocery store (if not Walmart) is coming out there at 301 and the bypass where that land has been for sale for a while. After the Walmart rumor, I heard that something else was in the works out and that just might be it.

Edited September 28, 2006 by MorganA15

[nova72asu]

I'm taking a wild guess, but im guessing that that new grocery store (if not Walmart) is coming out there at 301 and the bypass where that land has been for sale for a while. After the Walmart rumor, I heard that something else was in the works out and that just might be it.

Which side of the bypass are you refering to the north or south side?

Today at dinner, I was at a local church eating with my friend who goes there. I was sitting across from a particular person who is high up in local government and he was discussing with his friends at the table about new developments and such.

I wonder if I know this person, can you say if its county or city?

[MorganA15]

South, across the road from GSU

Edited September 28, 2006 by MorganA15

[andremurra]

I would rather mention people's names as little as possible on here, especially when they are speaking unofficially. However, considering that Burkhalter and most of Old Register Road is located outside of the city limits, make your assumptions from that fact.

The Walmart property, according to the neighboring landowners who have told me so, is at the intersection of Northside Drive West, and the Bypass.... not on 301.

I think its interesting that Portal is embarking on a waste-water treatment facility for its community. Thats a really great endeavor for that area that will be able to support more development. Im glad Portal is planning ahead. Portal has the potential of being a sizable suburb if they continue to make smart moves.

Edited September 28, 2006 by andremurra

[MorganA15]

I know where the Walmart property is, but i'm talking about another property. Walmart was rumored to go at 301 and the bypass for a while, but after that rumor faded out, I heard about something else was in the works out there (I never heard what).

Edited September 28, 2006 by MorganA15

[nova72asu]

Walmart owns property off 80 west and the bypass?

I understand about the names.

Both of the potential projects yall are talking about on the edge of the City. I need to start following what the county is doing around there, because I haven't heard anything.

[Scraper Enthusiast]

I loved Statesboro when I lived there. I attended Georgia Southern University from 1995-1997 (my freshman and sophomore years). I lived in Brannen Hall Dormitory my freshman year. My sophomore year, we rented a home of Gentilly. Great times.

[andremurra]

Are they finally adding a traffic light for the intersection of Northside Drive East at Cawana & Beasley Roads? I know its been a big discussion topic bought up over and over for the past several years, but everytime I read anything about it, the GDOT wouldnt allow it. Im wondering whats going on, because there are several new poles at the intersection, including cement poles and there are also short cement poles at the corners resembling crosswalk lightpoles. Does anyone know about this? Also the county zoning board recommended denial of the Cawana Road residential project near Bradford Place. I think that was a bad move personally, because that whole Cawana-Beasley & Bypass corridor is going to be the next development phase for Eastern Statesboro... at least the Beasley section is almost completely developed... perhaps a little overdeveloped.

[MorganA15]

I think I read where they were. That's two traffic lights going up. That brings how many, 6 in about a mile distance? The bypass is going to be like that soon. I know they're adding on at Akins Blvd, but it wouldn't surprise me if they added one at Statesboro Place and at Brampton Avenue/Stambuk Lane.

It doesn't surprise me that they denied it. Probally because there were a few others going up soon, and they thought that was enough. I'm actually surprised at how much they let happen. They want Statesboro to be a small town forever. Sorry, but that's not going to happen.

[MorganA15]

When I was at the traffic light at Brannen Street and the bypass, I noticed that the Brannen Crossing sign had "Opening Soon" on it. Has it always been like that and I just haven't noticed it or did they just put it up? The sign has been up for about 2 years, so I thought I have noticed it by now.

It's only for big box retailers, so they couldn't do anything out there until some lots were bought. I'm just wondering if somebody bought some and they can finally get going out there.

[nova72asu]

Public Hearing at City Hall tomorrow at 9 am.

Here are the items on the agenda.

Rezoning from R-3 (Medium Density Multi Family Residential) to CR (Commercial Retail) for property located at 17 West Jones Avenue.

Rezoning from R-10 (Single Family Residential) to R-8 (Single Family Residential) and a variance to allow the creation of lots that do not maintain the minimum lot width for the entire depth of the lots for a 0.375 acre parcel located on the southwest corner of West Main Street and Bay Street.

Rezoning from R-20 (Single Family Residential) to PUD (Planned Unit Development) for a 63.962 acre parcel located on the southeast corner of West Jones Avenue and Cypress Lake Road.

Request for a 14 foot variance of the 20 foot side yard setback for property located at 302 North Main Street.

I have more information on these if there are questions.

[MorganA15]

Dang, the new Statesboro Herald website sure is nice.