Sunrise senior village approved

County commissioners voted 4-1 Monday — with Bruce Scogin providing the lone “no” vote — to approve John Byram’s request for a rezoning for Sunrise Golf Village, a proposed densely clustered 55-and-over development around Byram’s Sunrise Golf Course, the only golf course in Madison County.

The plans include 158 single-family homes and 60 townhouses placed close together, predominantly on the south side of Byram’s 135-acre tract. The existing par 72 course will also be transformed into a 2,605-yard, par 57 “executive” setup, with 15 par 3’s and three par 4’s, and holes ranging from 92 to 343 yards from the back tees. Seventy-five new homes will front the golf course.

Byram’s representative, Tom Breedlove of Williams and Associates, said planning and permitting for the development could be completed within the next nine months, with the golf village potentially completed in the next two years.

The Sunrise proposal has been a divisive matter in Madison County for over a year, with repeated pleas of support made from citizens who don’t want to see golf die in Madison County, and equally passionate opposition that said the county isn’t adequately prepared for such a dense development, which will be roughly the equivalent of adding a city comparable in size to Colbert.

The Sunrise proposal has gone before commissioners three times in 13 months, with the board voting 5-0 against the proposal in December 2007, then opposing the development 3-2 in February. Byram’s most recent proposal included no changes from his previous requests.

Seven citizens, not including Byram’s representative, took the podium to support the request Monday and seven stood up to speak against it.

Proponents of the plan said the golf course is an asset to the community, that local high schools make frequent use of the course, that the age restrictions will mean the new development will have no impact on the school system, that Byram could close the course, split up the property and put mobile homes on the land, thereby devaluing neighboring properties.

Former Madison County School Superintendent Keith Cowne, who owns a home in Kingston Greens next to the course, spoke in favor of the proposal, saying it will prove beneficial in the long run to Madison County.

“It seems in today’s times, when we need a digest to support the necessities of the community, we wouldn’t want to lose one of the few economic engines we have in the county,” said Cowne.

Marion Cartwright of the Harrison Community in northern Madison County said the development will provide a needed option for elderly residents in northeast Georgia.

“Those homes put people close together,” said Cartwright. “They look out for each other.”

Opponents of the plan said the development isn’t in line with the county’s comprehensive plan for growth, that the proposed septic system could malfunction and prove a health hazard, that traffic will become even worse on the already dangerous Colbert Danielsville Road, that there isn’t adequate infrastructure to handle the development, that the development will deplete limited water supplies, that the 55-and-over restriction can’t be adequately enforced, that the Colbert volunteer fire department isn’t equipped with a ladder truck to respond to fires in proposed three-story structures, that EMS services will be strained, that there aren’t senior citizen amenities, such as nearby medical facilities and that there is no real demand for a senior development in the county.

Charles Hart urged the board to stand by its previous rejections of the plans, asking them not to be bullied or misled into approval.

“This won’t be a development you can look back on in 20 years and be proud of,” said Hart.

Benjamin Gossett said the plan is not in line with what is already in Colbert.

“It’s been mentioned that this will generate revenue,” said Gossett, noting potential strains on roads and fire services. “My question is ‘when?’”

District 5 Commissioner Scogin made a motion for denial, but the board sat silent, and his proposal died for lack of a second. Scogin noted that a conservation subdivision has already been approved across the road from Sunrise Golf Course.

“I don’t think retired people would mind walking across the road to play golf,” said Scogin of the proposed development in the fifth district.
Scogin noted potential strains on fire services, traffic and infrastructure.

“I do not feel this is the best we could get for this area,” said Scogin. It’s not compatible with the growth we have at this time.”

Commissioner Stanley Thomas spoke in favor of the plans, saying growth will come to Madison County “whether we’re ready or not.” He noted that shutting down the course will result in the loss of jobs. Thomas said the development is a needed revenue source and that the age restrictions will keep school service costs down.

“If you’re 55 and older and still having children, that’s not the norm,” he said.

Thomas said senior citizens are the most civic-minded people in the county, adding that law enforcement “won’t be busting up too many meth labs” in a 55-and-older community.

“They’ll be active in our clubs,” said Thomas of the senior citizens. “They’ll help our mentor program. They may be coaching a little league team. Because if you notice the clubs you’re in, whether it’s Rotary, or the volunteer fire departments, look at the average age. It’s not those 19-and-20-year old people carrying it. It’s those older people getting involved and being concerned.”