[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6630975,"mediaKeyId","2688487-72b91b12741ad97435ec7240a8043713","parentId",2688487,"title","Developer asks Cherokee County to amend zoning condition to permit private gated streets in proposed Knoxbridge subdivision","audioSeconds",208,"startMs",2884549,"endMs",3092635,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2688487-72b91b12741ad97435ec7240a8043713&start=2884&end=3092","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2688487-72b91b12741ad97435ec7240a8043713/thumbnail_2884549.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6630975/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Developer-asks-Cherokee-County-to-amend-zoning-condition-to-permit-private-gated-streets-in-proposed-Knoxbridge-subdivision","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6630975-cfb24f1e21d4b6dc475d80bc7f1fa54a/orig.mp4?Expires=1776492348&Signature=PqeVGGe6wGBZWbp5J4lenYaM3VPtSlXB7TSUUUHRQwY~p~j0~YFgd3U~OGAHVJ6xGmZf~M0Tz4cd3JEvPTkDvQOlLHSQE79HHgVjlx386CagApQiAP58xTvqChzmoHhWOKweWYCjYgcFlDLBLzljtFHQZ-PL7u7xoOOd1Py96EKV44KyIwOQqKfOaH0PRRP29MyLL3qCkz-yWO1pjRmfsel8pPm1eDdqIAq-r6sU4XZUavHooEDMrlmJeLMORSJdhpRitspvjBH7gs3rpjVmtBzxjs4b5iB6MQjL1eAq0xo-zgA8Mn63JDOnN0NIjLPs~rLS-lBZG1YgIFXnFJCJIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cherokee ","date","2025-03-18T15:01:00Z","article","Planning staff presented a request to modify zoning conditions attached to a 2021 rezoning for a 73-acre parcel off Knoxbridge Highway that was approved for an R30 conservation subdivision with 104 lots.

The applicant, identified in the agenda as Doug Patton for Bridgetown Development Inc., asked the county to change a stipulation stating the subdivision would contain public streets 24 feet in width from back of curb to back of curb so that the streets instead would be private and gated. Planning staff said the request reflects the applicant's original intent and would not, in staff's view, change the physical construction of the roads: they would still be built to county standards (24 feet back-of-curb to back-of-curb, curb and gutter and sidewalk).

Transportation engineer Brett Buchanan was contacted and reported no concerns with the request, staff said; the case was presented at the work session so the board could hear the modification request and the public hearing scheduled for the evening.

Why it matters: converting planned public streets to private gated streets affects future maintenance responsibility, the potential for the county to accept roads for maintenance in the future, and long-term public access. Staff and commissioners discussed the existing county practice that private streets built to county standards may be considered for acceptance later if they are inspected and meet current standards, and the board discussed that this requirement to build private streets to county standards is a more recent policy.

Planning staff told the board that, should the roads later be offered for public acceptance, the county would inspect and could require repairs before taking ownership, and that gates would be removed if the roads were accepted as public.

No decision was made during the work session; the modification request and any decision on whether to approve Article 5 (Section 5.5) requirements for private streets will go forward at the scheduled public hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cherokee - Board of Commissioners Work Session - Mar 18, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Planning staff asked the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners to consider a request to modify a zoning condition so that streets in a proposed Knoxbridge conservation subdivision would be private and gated rather than public.","taxTitle","Cherokee County, Georgia","taxId",12793,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6630980,"Cherokee County reviews alcohol ordinance and zoning-definition updates; board to hold public hearing",1432,1435544,2867875,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2688487-72b91b12741ad97435ec7240a8043713&start=1435&end=2867","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2688487-72b91b12741ad97435ec7240a8043713/thumbnail_1435544.jpg","/articles/6630980/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Cherokee-County-reviews-alcohol-ordinance-and-zoning-definition-updates-board-to-hold-public-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6630980-62926426e1fa452442a76b8d8538764a/orig.mp4?Expires=1776492348&Signature=Wa0QmEAusT0lDQ8grMfVnfAFPwPYDQ5IVRtnqHCtDmMdi4nr7EcYCgeQ9VnLZBJ8aVpSzXXSOnsTJY3KqPpx1pzZSvr~D5PR474qLM1KMB6LM7q02af9SNype5S3NgbLQQR~eyrLpyCY2rbPjd98OqVMbYhSCIPVhzkYTHnw6ZHdb3c1i1VQTubS4AFE3hCyA0qtYpnOs~KhHEWS3eVhM3ixuo4ddZmXnPuudeRwpJdMbQBHSpJrLIhtwZS1XunJOQ8Nh-R3WFteRFJwA81xmwmtH9fjmvRT9cg04M5HhUQWjAmmjkkG0FEjAX4Tg4layPvazveXRJMC5atLL1Z-sQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County planning staff reviewed a set of proposed changes to Cherokee County's alcohol ordinance and corresponding zoning definitions during the Board of Commissioners work session on March 18, 2025. The presentation was led by the county staff member identified in the record as Ms. Spade; a public hearing on the proposals was scheduled for the evening meeting.

The proposed changes add or revise definitions and two substantive ordinance sections to align county rules with state law and to fill local gaps affecting special events, retailers and alcohol-related uses. Staff said the updates are intended to make the zoning ordinance and alcohol ordinance consistent while clarifying how certain businesses may sell alcohol.

Key elements presented by planning staff include:

- Alcohol beverage caterer: a new definition and a new Section 6-156 to allow businesses that already hold on-premises retail or restaurant licenses to obtain an additional local/state caterer license and transport and sell alcohol at off-premises catered events. Staff said the section requires caterer personnel to be 21 or older and hold an alcohol-sales permit and requires written notification to the Department of Revenue prior to each event.

- Convenience store and general merchandise store: both categories would use a 10,000-square-foot threshold to distinguish grocery stores from smaller retailers. Planning staff proposed defining convenience stores as retail establishments under 10,000 square feet whose dedicated alcohol-selling area does not exceed 15% of gross interior floor area (the proposed standard uses floor area rather than a percent of sales). Staff said they will make the convenience-store and general-merchandise definitions consistent before the public hearing.

- Farm winery and non-farm winery: staff proposed matching the zoning ordinance definitions with state law and adding a distinct non-farm-winery definition so that farm wineries (permitted with a special use permit in agricultural zoning) and non-farm wineries (allowed in industrial zoning) are handled consistently. Board members asked for clearer wording about how much agricultural product must be produced on-site; staff indicated they would clarify whether the definition requires a specific percentage (one board member read the draft as implying about 40%).

- Breweries and manufacturer definitions: staff updated brewery and brewer provisions in the alcohol ordinance to reflect state law limits and special provisions, including a per-person daily off-premises malt-beverage sales cap cited in state law (288 ounces per individual per day) and an annual production cap (6,000 barrels) referenced by staff.

Why it matters: the changes affect where and how alcohol can be sold in unincorporated Cherokee County, influence the use of county parks and facilities for events, and clarify the zoning and licensing path for breweries, wineries, caterers and retailers.

County staff also raised a policy question about alcohol sales at county-owned parks during county-sponsored events. The existing ordinance section (read aloud by staff) prohibits consumption on most county property but lists exceptions for certain county facilities and ends with the line, \"this provision shall not apply to events sponsored by the county.\" Recreation and Parks staff said they want to host an arts and jazz festival at Veterans Park and asked whether the existing exception would allow a licensed vendor to sell beer and wine if the event is county-sponsored. County staff and several commissioners agreed the language, as written, would permit alcohol sales at county-sponsored events, but they discussed adding an annual advisory-board review so the county could reevaluate whether to continue sponsorship in subsequent years.

A public hearing on these ordinance and zoning definition changes was set for the evening meeting; staff indicated they would make clarifying edits requested by the board (for example, ensuring consistency between gross-floor-area and sales-based formulations for convenience/general-merchandise definitions and clarifying the farm-winery production language) before that hearing.","County planning staff presented proposed revisions to the Cherokee County alcohol ordinance and related zoning definitions at the March 18 work session and scheduled a public hearing for the evening meeting.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6630984,"Cherokee County parks director presents 2025–28 strategic plan; board to consider formal adoption",984,165495,1150070,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2688487-72b91b12741ad97435ec7240a8043713&start=165&end=1150","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2688487-72b91b12741ad97435ec7240a8043713/thumbnail_165495.jpg","/articles/6630984/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Cherokee-County-parks-director-presents-202528-strategic-plan-board-to-consider-formal-adoption","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6630984-46bde1a8a93f6762fa02703d3bc38b2d/orig.mp4?Expires=1776492348&Signature=Va9DRmZoVmt6385C1NcOcv7AGbqS0lEUtK6~4TPfRYOfm-ou6B4hD1fQgtTWiE~nxYavF44hckm1Yy3Jy~AJjN61wXMXZfNpwRpzISmudsaLhuxsCAWz69MD~ovkYXIye~szn0GxmbenToKlCxUEQJ~MnmaHCVXCF7eliqcRMsUw-xt7nXb62I1mFEH9U~v8LPlaOoq-EPBsnxo2NdwUypVIgaqe2XesCppp99e7cUVJ0MNdM5lwVUapU18CeRWKWExarfeYzM-So8lPS~iDbYMXGO3RufaFbH6svMItujQRK4G1Ja61nCNcrUp0SIZ5v1DVDx7zAsQ6LcYYFX-WYA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jay Worley, director of Cherokee County Recreation and Parks, presented the county's Strategic Plan 2025–2028 at the Board of Commissioners work session on March 18, 2025 and asked the board to consider adopting the plan at the board's evening meeting.

The four-year plan lists 33 action items across five priority areas that mirror the county's 2019 Comprehensive Parks, Trails and Recreation Master Plan. Worley said the plan is the second phase of work tied to the 2019 master plan and the county's earlier strategic plan covering 2020'024.

Why it matters: the strategic plan lays out capital and program priorities for parks and recreation over the next four years and ties those priorities to funding and staffing moves already underway, including SPLOST dollars approved by voters in November 2023.

Worley said the department completed 34 of 38 action items in the 2020'024 strategic plan and identified 33 new tasks for 2025'028. Key highlights he emphasized include: opening multiple northeast-county parks (Long Swamp, Yellow Creek and Cochran Park) on the department's schedule; completing field renovations and synthetic-turf projects; adding inclusive-playground components as replacements or new installations; and creating programming that includes therapeutic and adult job-skills opportunities.

The director cited recent funding and grants that have supported projects. He noted the November 2023 park SPLOST referendum for $36,500,000 and said a $600,000 grant helped push the Long Swamp Creek project forward. Worley also said the department has received grants of up to $75,000 in recent years to support summer-camp opportunities.

Worley described the department's revised mission statement as \"making life better by cultivating active communities through recreation while preserving our parks and facilities,\" and summarized operational goals including maintaining a staffing ratio of roughly one parks worker per 12 to 15 acres of maintained space and adding two parks workers for the opening of Long Swamp.

Worley also reviewed items not completed from the 2020'024 plan (for exemple, a dog park in north Cherokee and a shift of Woodstock recreation-center concessions into a learning kitchen), and said several unfinished items are carried forward into the new plan. He explained the department created a natural resources division in October to address maintenance-zone goals differently than originally planned.

The Recreation and Parks Advisory Board unanimously approved the 2025'028 strategic plan at its February 12 meeting, and the county manager asked the Board of Commissioners to formally adopt the plan as part of the evening agenda. Worley noted a planned opening date for Long Swamp Park of Friday, May 2, 2025.

The presentation contained financial and program items meant to guide capital spending, grant pursuit, staffing and accreditation work; Worley said the department is preparing for reaccreditation by the national parks accreditation body. The board did not take a formal adoption vote during the work session; a vote is scheduled for the evening meeting.","At a March 18 work session, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Worley reviewed a 33-item strategic plan for 2025–28 that ties to the county's 2019 comprehensive parks plan and recent SPLOST funding; the Board of Commissioners will consider formal adoption at its evening meeting.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6630972,"Cherokee County proposes aircraft valuation audit; school system to cost-share initial year",192,3596670,3788735,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2688487-72b91b12741ad97435ec7240a8043713&start=3596&end=3788","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2688487-72b91b12741ad97435ec7240a8043713/thumbnail_3596670.jpg","/articles/6630972/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Cherokee-County-proposes-aircraft-valuation-audit-school-system-to-cost-share-initial-year","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6630972-eae180d6d310c89fc0791f0586344788/orig.mp4?Expires=1776492348&Signature=UiFC~pktL~BpuOLkxhiLa5UKORsHr8nLKeRrJnuiqrJQ8YNe80FR2X910GyLb3FpuOIBRsAMAMvM4baCI1QDXuQRXdpXqk2lUvLkNO3ViDGyOCdUIuZqaOL3~oFoenCciEbZ5oNMVg~sJc1Er3WZae~VsEaX3P~dfxc9VAjJyNV~S67FxKSjiW5ZF7Jd6QyB3vOrz-~0~1vlFO3B~628TRF-FGmiRckY6MkEZ6CBrQLmbyQ2UYldVbIMGOPe6BRcmJIuWilgpzieq5Gtmrj9zZLL1qcHZ3cEK~ESU-npVOyYkWAsDUtK~0xkIQWuS0-hCi2M85KvKlz1JsI1X~4NQA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County staff described a proposed agreement with Aviation Capital Partners LLC (doing business as Specialized Tax Recovery) to provide an aircraft valuation auditing program at the Cherokee County Airport during the March 18 work session. The county manager said the five-year agreement would implement a detailed audit of based aircraft to identify untaxed or misreported planes and increase ad valorem tax revenue; the total contract value was capped at $350,000 for the term.

The county manager said the initial year of work is the most intensive and was estimated not to exceed $253,062. The county's proposed intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Cherokee County School System would split costs: the county would pay 30% and the school system would pay 70% of annual contract costs. Using the 2025 proposal figure, the county's share would be about $75,918.75 and the school system's share about $177,143.75.

Tax-assessment staff told the board the vendor has access to data on aircraft locations and ownership and can track inventory; the assessor noted that aircraft must generally be located in the county for six months or longer to be considered taxable there. Board members discussed the likely diminishing costs after the first year (the vendor conducts a multi-year review initially and subsequent years will be lower-cost follow-ups) and whether it would be more cost-effective to use county staff for periodic checks; county staff said the firm's access to data and experience justify the approach.

Why it matters: aircraft based at the county airport can represent substantial personal-property value; identifying untaxed or misreported aircraft could generate additional ad valorem revenue for the county and school system. The county manager said the firm is paid from recovered revenue on a contingency schedule outlined in the proposal (a sliding fee tied to value recovered). No final contract award occurred during the work session; the matter was presented for the board's consideration at the evening meeting.

County staff also noted the airport's growth as a reason to pursue an audit, and staff said final invoicing will be based on actual costs incurred and that subsequent years will be expected to cost less once inventory is established.","County manager presented a proposed five-year agreement with a private aircraft-valuation auditing firm to identify untaxed or misreported aircraft at the Cherokee County Airport; the initial year's maximum cost was estimated at $253,062 and the Cherokee County School System would pay 70% under a proposed IGA while the county would pay 30%.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Developer asks Cherokee County to amend zoning condition to permit private gated streets in proposed Knoxbridge subdivision

Cherokee County reviews alcohol ordinance and zoning-definition updates; board to hold public hearing

Cherokee County parks director presents 2025–28 strategic plan; board to consider formal adoption

Cherokee County proposes aircraft valuation audit; school system to cost-share initial year