Dev. Authority needs property rezoned to acquire grants
NAHUNTA — Brantley County commissioners have scheduled a Public Hearing concerning the rezoning of a 102.98acre tract of property in the Industrial Park.
According to County Manager Joey Cason, the hearing is currently scheduled for Wednesday, June 24 at noon in the Brantley County Commission office.
“We don’t own the property,” Cason said in a Friday, June 12 phone interview. “The (Brantley County) Development Authority owns the property, which is located on Pembers Road. It needs the land to be properly zoned in order to be able to apply for grants. It was bought ($308,940) from TimberVest Partners (III Georgia, LLC) in (November 2) 2022 and was zoned Agriculture at the time, which was before I was hired.
“The Development Authority has had a couple of companies show some interest in the property. In order to get some grants, those grants require the Development Authority to have that property properly zoned to Heavy Industrial. The whole purpose of getting this done is to make sure that they’re able to apply for that grant.”
According to qPublic, the property value (2025) is $165,168. It was valued at $156,240 in 2024.
During the Thursday, June 4 commission meeting, a group wearing “PSL - Party for Socialism and Liberation” t-shirts was in attendance and caused a commotion, yelling explicatives as commissioners entered into executive session, following a motion to move forward with the rezoning without allowing any public comments.
“We’re going to make sure everyone of you (commissioners) motherf•••ers are f•••ing fired,” said one of the unfiltered protestors to the five elected officials consisting of Chariman Skipper Harris, and Commissioners Hal Herndon, Randy Davison, Brian Hendrix and Andy Riggins as they exited to executive session.
Cason
The berating continued after they returned and motioned for the meeting to end.
“That group is coming over from Gainesville (Fla.) ... they are not from here,” said Cason. “You can see it on Facebook ... it’s like the Gainesville Socialist Party or something like that. They are here to stir the pot.”
Cason said he is also receiving complaints about the noon meeting time.
“I do not have control of when meeting times are set,” he said. “The commissioners do. This meeting is addressing an issue that should have no opposition. It is land that has been owned by the Brantley County Development Authority for several years. This land should have been rezoned at the time of the purchase, which was before I arrived.
“There shouldn’t be anybody arguing against the Development Authority wanting to rezone their land when it should have been done when they bought it. I don’t know why it wasn’t ... I wasn’t here then.
“There will be no discussion of a data center. This is all about just getting a piece of property that should have been already rezoned when the Development Authority bought it. This is to help Mel (Baxter, Executive Director) recruit industry here.”
Cason did state the 25page Brantley County Land Use Ordinance draft for Section 4-1.2 governing data centers has not gone before the Board of Commissioners.
“They have not decided if they’re going to move it forward,” said Cason. “I can tell you there is no formal application for a data center submitted, though.”
