Cherokee County: Gated Country Club for Slow-Growthers

It is this mindset and thought pattern that troubles me most about the changes affecting my hometown. Did Mr. Holroyd II think he purchased property in an elite gated country club called Cherokee County? Actually, he purchased in Mountain Brook along Hwy 92 in Woodstock. I know some specific history behind this project that Mr. Holroyd II may need to know himself.

Mountain Brook was developed by The Landon Group, a local developer who has many quality projects around Cherokee and neighboring counties. The developer purchased the land for Mountain Brook several years ago and pledged to not develop up the side of Little Sweat Mountain to preserve it for future residents (even Mr. Holroyd II). In fact he placed 100.95 acres (almost 40% of the total acreage) in a Land Preservation Trust never to be disturbed. The developer also set aside another 40+ acres for common areas, including preserving an existing lake to be enjoyed by all residents of Mountain Brook. It's no wonder Mr. Holroyd II enjoys his scenic Cherokee County Gated Country Club, or I mean his home in Mountain Brook.

He gets to enjoy Cherokee County and his 100+ acre preserve as a neighbor for the low price of only $234,800 (he got 0.000 acres for that price also). Do you think Mr. Holroyd II could afford to buy all 100+ acres and the lake and the additional 40 acres of common space? Maybe he can, but the point is he didn't have to because one those "greedy landowners" sold to a developer who took the risk and paid the expense for him. He should be thanking landowners and developers, not bad-mouthing everything that happened to allow him access to "assumed" paradise of Cherokee County.

Am I the only one who sees the hypocrisy of "slow-growth" advocates who just recently moved into Cherokee County?

Then he goes on to make my favorite complaint..."It would be nice to have more development other than residential: office parks, light industrial, recreational, etc." Maybe he overlooked the 43+ acres in front of Mountain Brook that has yet to be developed because it is zoned for commercial use? There is already the possibility of placing 263,000+/- square feet of restaurants, office, shops, recreation gyms, etc... right in front of Mr. Holroyd II's neigborhood. The only reason it doesn't exist now is that the market has not created a need. You see commercial businesses exist only to make a profit. They do not see any profits to be made yet at that place in Cherokee County or you can rest assured there would be something built already. The zoning is in place, the utilities are there, the access is great, the only thing missing are the people. It takes customers to make businesses successful and companies tend open where customers will likely visit.

In order for Cherokee to grow more commercial, office, and industrial it will take more houses and people moving into the county. Companies invest where they can hire quality people at reasonable rates and reach a viable target demographic. These things will come to Cherokee, but only if the residents are here in larger numbers and more diverse demographics...which takes more housing, more development, more selling of existing land by those "greedy landowners".

I didn't even get into the fact that "slow-growth" advocates like Mr. Holroyd II only care about their desires and not other resident's property rights!

Brad Nix
Woodstock, GA

References: The Glens at Mountain Brook, The Bluffs at Mountain Brook