GDOT Top Engineer Overrules Decision On Shopping Center Entrance

Georgia Department of Transportation Chief Engineer Meg Pirkle has overruled the District 1 project team in favor of a full access median commercial break for a major shopping center on the Oconee Connector between SR 316 and Mars Hill Road.

In a letter dated April 6 and posted by Oconee County planning staff on the county website on Wednesday, Pirkle told land owner Maxie Price she was honoring Price’s request for maintenance of the existing median break on the Connector and for an access cut to his property.

As such, she was overturning a decision by Jason Dykes, District 1 traffic engineer, who in an email message to Oconee County on Jan. 12 said the existing median opening would be closed as part of a more than $70 million reconstruction of the SR 316 interchange with the Oconee Connector.

Pirkle copied her letter to Kelvin Mullins, District 1 engineer, Russell McMurry, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner, and Jamie Boswell.

Boswell is District 10 member of the State Transportation Board, to whom McMurry reports. Pirkle reports to McMurry.

Boswell also is owner of the Boswell Group, which is listing the property Price wants to sell for the shopping center. Boswell attended the meeting of the Oconee County Planning Commission in January when that body recommended against the rezone for the shopping center.

The Planning Commission on Monday is to take up again Price’s request for a rezone of the 47 acres he wants to see developed into a shopping center with a Publix as an anchor.

In unrelated news on Wednesday, two additional candidates filed to run in the June 15 special election in Watkinsville in the final day of qualifications.

Peter Steckel qualified to run for mayor and Carolyn Maultsby qualified to run for Post 1 on Council. On Monday, acting Mayor Brian Brodrick qualified for mayor, and Chuck Garrett qualified to run for Post 1.

For details of this story, please go to Oconee County Observations.