A new Zaxby’s restaurant is coming to the Paradise Crossing shopping center at the corner of Lee Road and Fairburn Road. This will be the third Zaxby’s in Douglas County in regard to the one on Concourse Parkway near the Super Wal-Mart and the one on Maxham Road in Austell.

Zaxby’s is a restaurant based around the idea that freshly cooked chicken is worth the wait. The company was founded by Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley in Statesboro, Georgia. Brock Design Group is doing the architecture for the project; the company also has the services of civil engineering, surveying, land planning, and landscape architecture.

Google has quietly updated the Featured Content in the layers sidebar with four new features, one of which is the Rumsey Historical Maps Collection. A total of sixteen maps are available for viewing, allowing users to discover the ancient world in the eyes of early day cartographers.

Each map acts as an overlay, where users can adjust the transparency from the Old World to current day. Only one map can be viewed at a time and detail is region based – meaning as a user zooms in to a select area, the detail will increase. The latest version (4.0.2416) of Google Earth is needed to view the updates.

Below is a list of the Rumsey Historical Maps available. To find out more about the update, visit the unofficial Google Earth Blog.

• World Globe 1790
• North America 1733
• United States 1833
• Lewis and Clark 1814
• New York 1836
• San Francisco 1853
• South America 1787
• Buenos Aires 1892
• Asia 1710
• Tokyo 1680
• Middle East 1861
• England, Wales 1790
• London 1843
• Paris 1716
• Africa 1787
• Australia Southeast 1844

The Development Statistics page has been updated to include four new top 5 lists that utilize information stored in the database. Users are now able to see an additional view of how Douglas County is growing by which developments are the largest, defined by different variables, and the top 5 largest WSA issused fines. Losing Georgia is also drafting a separate statistics page for each district, which will show the extent of growth on a narrower basis.

Below are the newly added top 5 lists. If you have a suggestion for new statistics, please feel free to leave a comment.

• Top 5 Largest Developments
• Top 5 Largest Subdivision by Acres
• Top 5 Largest Subdivision by Lots
• Top 5 Largest WSA Fines

The Losing Georgia: Interactive Tour has been updated with 1 new development. You can download the KMZ file or head over to the overview page if you are unfamiliar with the Interactive Tour.

Below is a list of additions and updates to the tour.

Developments

1. Zaxby’s

For many years Douglas County has lived in the shadow of an ever-expanding Atlanta, with residents driving to-and-from downtown on a daily basis for work and play. Traffic was relatively easy to deal with all through the eighties, but the mid nineties showed a transition into larger growth. There was a push to supply higher paying jobs in the midst of a booming housing market.

The Development Authority’s directive is to attract major corporations to the area for creating a base of operations through the use of tax incentives. An example of growth is the Douglas Hill Business Park which houses major companies like Quaker Oats, Tropicana, Gatorade, Motorola and Yamaha. Even some developers believe that Douglas County is a bedroom community, lacking services and a depth of community.

The question: Is Douglas County a bedroom community?

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At tonights uncommon Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, along with the Board of Commissioners, two major developments were requesting a zoning change to build townhouse communities for citizens over 55, much like The Haven at Slater Mill, around the Lithia Springs area.

The first zoning application was filed by the Wellstone Housing Corporation at 3263 McKown Road. Most residents know this location for the Tabernacle of Faith Church on God in Christ, which has not done so well in recent years. Wellstone has tried to develop the land over time with little success. The recent proposal was to build a townhouse community for active adults over the age of 55.

The second zoning application was filed by Platinum Development between North County Line Road and Miller Street. The multiple tracts make up the swampy natural wetland area around Beaver Run Creek, where various wildlife thrive including many beavers and white-tailed deer. This particular development called for 80% of residents being 55 or older and 20% known relatives; the premise allowing younger family members to care for their aging relatives in close proximity.

There was much discussion about enforcing the age limit, how a homeowners association would control the covenants and what guarantees the developers could make. Residents spoke out against development in the area, the main factor being already overcrowded schools and increasing traffic. Currently there are 22 mobile classrooms in the Lithia Springs district.

When the time came for approval, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously motioned denials for both applicants. The Board of Commissioners voted indifferently by denying the Wellstone application by a 3-2 margin and denying the Platinum application by 4-1. Commissioner Gordon motioned an approval for both applicants, which was overruled by the rest of the Board.

On a brisk October morning, the dormant sun rose behind the Piedmont foothills to cast warmth upon a symbol of growth, the new Chapel Hill Elementary school. The steel beam skeleton stood quiet, surrounded by a pocket of greenspace in the harsh reminder of the power of eminent domain. Growth is a way of life that will always come with burdens and promises.

Two new panoramas have been added to the photo gallery: The New Chapel Hill Elementary II and Bearden Crossing. Panoramas are a set of photographs stitched together to broaden the scope of a scene. In this case, showing the impact of growth is vital, therefore to better understand the future of Douglas County in the pivotal times of today.

Results from the Midterm Election for Douglas County have been processed since polls closed last night. DCTV aired results as precincts reported in, some late in the night like Holly Springs. Some local races were extremely close at points, one being the seat for District 1 Commissioner. Tony Godfrey was leading most of the night over Freddie Ashmond, Jr., but Ashmond prevailed as the winner by 225 votes. District three’s Commissioner seat was also close at one time by incumbent Mulcare leading by just 2% over Rookard.

On a state level, Douglas County residents stuck with Governor Sonny Perdue and other Republicans on the ballot. Local results are shown below, full results can be downloaded in PDF form and statewide results can be viewed at the Secretary of State website.

District Attorney, Judicial District

• David McDade - 20,567 / 100.00%

Chief Magistrate

• Susan S. Camp - 20,528 / 100.00%

State Court Solicitor

• Greg Barton - 19,970 / 100.00%

Commissioner, District 1

• Tony Godfrey, Republican - 2,530 / 47.87%
• Freddie Ashmond, Jr., Democrat - 2,755 / 52.13%

Commissioner, District 3

• Mike Mulcare, Republican - 4,780 / 61.15%
• Tracy Rookard, Democrat - 3,037 / 38.85%

Commissioner, District 4

• David Harold Latham, Republican - 6,419 / 100.00%

Board of Education, District 2

• Jimmy Bartlett, Republican - 2,169 / 53.27%
• D. T. Jackson, Sr., Democrat - 1,903 / 46.73%

Board of Education, District 3

• Larry F. Barnes, Republican - 4,514 / 100.00%

Board of Education, District 4

• Sam Haskell, Republican - 3,881 / 100.00%

The Losing Georgia: Interactive Tour has been updated with 7 new overlays that correspond with the proposed impact fees presentation made by the County. The Tour has been switched back to the KMZ file type due to better compression and ease for users. You can download the KMZ file or head over to the overview page if you are unfamiliar with the Interactive Tour.

Below is a list of additions and updates to the tour.

Overlays

1. Proposed New Public Libraries
2. Proposed Recreational Centers
3. Proposed New Parks
4. Fire Stations 2 1/2 Mile Radius
5. Proposed Fire Stations
6. Current Transportation Plan
7. Amended Transportation Plan
8. The Shoppes at Deer Creek Site Plan (new detailed color version)

Renames

1. Unknown Highway 78 Subdivision to Hamrick Lake

For over a year Losing Georgia has been dependent on information from many sources, most notably by the Douglas County Government. Online access to resources like property records and minutes from the Board of Commissioners makes research easier, while cutting cost on purchasing photocopies. Conducting open records requests have been equally important and sometimes challenging, since specific details are more pertinent.

However, the past year has been demanding by uncontrollable inconsistencies in data, producing delayed results on the research end. Online property records sometimes take months to update, which may not include new parcel ownership or end up as blank records without access to previous owners. Cross-referencing plat approvals to property records also manufacture conflicts that lead to more questions than answers. These problems not only affect this Project, but anyone who chooses to use County resources.

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