Putnam County home buyers in new subdivisions will now have a 25-year period of security against changes in the subdivision plans.
After two or three months of wrangling over requested amendments to a Pea Ridge Road subdivision’s final plat that had been in effect less than a year, the Putnam County Board of Commissioners last Friday approved amendments to the county zoning ordinance that banned changes in final plats for 25 years.
“It will keep intact what people came for” and bought, District 4 Commissioner Jeff Wooten said.
An informal survey of other Georgia counties with a similar restriction showed a range of 25 to 50 years, Planning and Zoning Director Lisa Jackson said. She recommended the lesser end of that range “to allow some discretion” for the developer.
In other actions, the commission:
• Reappointed Virginia Daley for another four-year term on the Board of Tax Assessors and appointed real estate agent Shona Bales to the same board to fill an unexpired term ending in 2025.
• Heard a recap presentation of the $6.1 million in water system improvements planned by the Eatonton-Putnam Water and Sewer Authority. The costs will be split 50-50 between the federal American Rescue Plan (ARPA) ($3.1 million) and three local entities: the county government ($600,000), the Eatonton city government ($400,000), and EPWSA ($2 million).
ESG engineer Charlie Bridges broke the projects into three groups.
By far the largest, at least in cost, are three “loops” that will allow water and stable water pressure to come from two directions as the water mains spider-leg away from the center of town. These loops include Dance Road ($1.27 million), U.S. 441 ($1.2 million), and the primary school ($553,000).
The second group involves putting in larger pipes for better water pressure and, as a side benefit, increased fire protection. The three areas include Alice Walker Drive ($386,000), West Sumter Street ($480,000), and a gap in the North Jefferson Avenue area ($330,000).
The third group of projects includes hydrant replacements ($1.1 million), inserting or replacing cut-off valves ($647,000), mapping ($100,000), and modeling the sizing of pipes ($50,000).