Lavonia City Council Passes Resolution to Annex More County Roads

The City of Lavonia has added to the list of county roads they plan to annex into the city limits.

At their meeting this week, the City Council passed a resolution annexing adjacent roads to Ross Place and Gerrard Road, that after hearing from Mayor Courtney Umbehant.

“I’m asking you to consider a resolution to annex Gerrard Road, the connecting points on each end of Gerrard Road to our property, which would be Pleasant Hill Rd from Gerrard Road to 17, Highway 328 from Highway 59 to Gerrard. Also, Tiger Tail Road. One side of that road is Lavonia, and one side is Franklin County. That should have been done a long time ago as should 328 from Highway 59 to Gerrard. And also Concrete Road. The reason for this is with the development of all the apartments that are going to be there,” he said. “So I’m asking you to consider a resolution to annex those properties.”

The Mayor, however, emphasized that only the roads would be annexed.

“It’s just the roads. I have no intention and I want the County to understand that. We’re not going to force annexation on any property owner. But by having the roads annexed, if there are property owners who would like to be annexed they will have the option to do that,” he said.

Last February, the Council voted to adopt Ross Place into the city limits.

City Manager Charles Cawthon said at the time, that development along the road that connects Highway 17/Jones St. in the city to Highway 59 in the County has made it more of a city street than a county road.

Among the businesses located on Ross Place include Ross Controls, the Cracker Barrel restaurant, the Red Roof Inn motel, and La Cabana Mexican Restaurant.

Additionally, Homestead Construction of North Georgia in conjunction with New Vision Developers is building a new townhome development on 20 acres between Clear Creek Parkway and Ross Place.

Umbehant said he and City Manager Charles Cawthon plan to attend Monday’s Franklin County Commission meeting where they hope the Commission will agree to the annexations.