Baldwin plans for public hearing on shopping center, annexation despite county objection

By: Brian Wellmeier

On Tuesday, Feb. 17, Baldwin’s City Council said it plans to proceed with a public hearing on the proposed Cook Construction annexation, even after county leaders formally challenged the move earlier this week.

City officials said the hearing will still take place at 6 p.m. on March 3.

On Monday, Feb. 16, the Habersham County Board of Commissioners voted to file an official objection to the annexation request tied to property along the Ga. 365 corridor. That action, if the city moves forward, could set up a legal challenge and advance the dispute to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs for review under Georgia’s annexation arbitration process.

The property is currently zoned low-intensity. Cook Construction has requested the property be rezoned to highway business — a significant change from its current designation.

If approved — and if it prevails through legal challenges handled by Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs — developer Cook Construction could annex a portion of 100 acres into Baldwin city limits for the proposed shopping center, according to Habersham County Planning and Development Director Mike Beecham.

Beecham said at least half of the property could be developed into a commercial shopping area, though the use of the remaining acreage remains unclear. He added that potential development costs, if approved, are not yet known.

Baldwin resident Terry Williams – whose property sits adjacent to the proposed annexation footprint – addressed council members in support of what he characterized as structured, strategic commercial development in the area.

Williams said his family’s ties to the area date back nearly a century, stating they have owned land between Duncan Bridge Road and Level Grove Road since the mid-1900s. A third-generation property owner, he framed his position as rooted in long-term investment in the county’s future.

“Nobody’s more pro-Habersham than me,” he said.

Though he acknowledged longtime friends who oppose the annexation, Williams pushed back on what he described as across-the-board resistance to growth.

“With a four-lane highway running straight through the center of this county, growth is coming,” he said. “The real issue is whether it’s the right kind of growth or the wrong kind.”

He pointed to retail leakage as a central concern, arguing that residents routinely leave the county to shop – particularly along the heavily traveled GA 365 corridor leading into Gainesville.

“…everybody in Habersham is going down to Gainesville to spend their money,” he said. “Why do we want to give Gainesville all of our money?”

Williams suggested that recruiting grocery stores, restaurants and similar businesses closer to Habersham would expand the local tax base while creating jobs.

“…not everybody is opposed,” he said.

No residents who attended the meeting spoke against the potential annexation.