Lee Co. apartment complex put on hold - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Property owners put the brakes on a proposed $23 million apartment complex in Lee County, but they haven't pulled the plug.

Flint Ventures, Inc. hoped to get the county to rezone 29 acres off Old Leesburg Road from commercial to residential so developers could build an upscale, 240 unit complex.

"We really and truly feel like that's a commercial development area and again the stakeholders out there, the people that have built the Publix, the CVS and so forth and right now there's nothing going on in that area.  And we just really and truly felt like this was the right product, the right time, and the right location," said Jim Bacon, with Flint Ventures, Inc.

Bacon says he got support from area businesses, but a lack of support from officials forced him to withdraw his rezoning request.

"Rather than go forward and have it turned down by the commission, which would then require us to wait six months before we could even go back before the commission with another rezoning request, we decided just to pull it,"  explained Bacon.  "But more importantly it would tarnish this product if it would go up for a vote and be turned down and then six months later we would have to come right back before the commission and say ok, let's vote on it again."

The Lee County Planning Commission recommended County Commissioners deny the rezoning application. County Commission Vice Chairman Rick Muggridge says the project has positives and negatives.

"There were some concerns about traffic, there were concerns about the effect it will have on our school system. there's concerns about basically the right mix of owner occupied residences versus tenant occupied residences," said Muggridge.

But those behind the complex say renting is becoming the new demand.

"And the trend with the economy and with retiring baby boomers, the trend is going back into renting versus owning," said William Hancock with Webb Properties. 

And the more rooftops, the more commercial businesses, the more money flows into the county.

"Chick-Fil-A who's been under contract for two years now, they actually own the property in front of Publix.  They keep putting this store build off for two years now because it's not a priority store for them, there's not enough growth," said Hancock.

For now Muggridge says the delay gives the commission a chance to look at growth and try to work through the negative perceptions surrounding this project.

Flint Ventures Incorporated doesn't have a timeline of when they may bring the rezoning request back to the commission.

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