Newspaper Page Text
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Vol. 16 No. 27 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages
Grants awarded
The Jackson EMC Foundation recently awarded grants to multiple
Braselton-area agencies
PAGE 3A
New coach
Nick Pou has been named Jackson County High School’s
new baseball coach
PAGE 10A
Hoschton
Major developments
getting a second public
hearing in Hoschton
Two proposed develop
ments will get rare a sec
ond round of public hear
ings.
The Hoschton Council
will hold the additional
hearings Thursday, June
15 (6 p.m.) at Hoschton’s
new city hall community
center (65 City Square)
for annexations and rezon
ing requests for two pro
posed large-scale develop
ments. Providence Group
of Georgia and Rocklyn
Homes seek the annex
ation and zoning changes
for the respective projects,
See Hearings, page 12A
Braselton
Ward named to Joint
Study Committee on
Service Delivery Strategy
Lt. Governor Brut
Jones announced on
Monday (June 12) the
appointment of Braselton
Mayor Kurt Ward to the
state’s Joint Study Com
mittee on Service Deliv
ery Strategy.
The first-term mayor
will join Senator Frank
Ginn (R - Danielsville,
Ward
chairman), Senator Max
See Ward, page 12A
West Jackson
Man found dead off
Hwy. 124 last week from
self-inflicted gunshot wound
A man was found dead off police and the Georgia Bureau
Hwy. 124 near Hoschton last of Investigation (GBI).
week from a reported self-in- While assisting Doraville
flicted gunshot wound, while a police last week, a Jack-
person remains missing in what son County Sheriffs Office
appears to be a related case un- (JCSO) deputy found the de-
der investigation by Doraville
See Body, page 3A
INSIDE
Local students
recognized at
multiple colleges
PAGE 6A
INDEX
News ...
1A-3A, 12A
Opinion ...
4A
Public safety...
5A
Social..
6A
School...
7A
Obituaries...
8A
Sports...
10A
Classifieds...
11A
IN WITH THE NEW
USING THE NEW SPACE
The Hoschton Downtown Development Authority (DDA) on Monday (June 12) held its first
meeting inside Hoschton’s new city hall complex.
NEW
COMMUNITY
ROOM
Hoschton Down
town Development
Authority (DDA)
Director Jessica
Greene (left) and
Hoschton City
Manager Jennifer
Kidd-Harrison pose
for a photo in the
community room of
the new Hoschton
City Hall Complex.
Photos by Ben Munro
Braselton
Del Webb decision on hold
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
A decision on the proposed
expansion of Del Webb at
Chateau Elan is on hold fol
lowing nearly three months
of extensive and, at times,
tense public discussion over
the matter.
The applicant, PulteGroup,
requested the Braselton Town
Council defer its vote to its
July meeting. Pulte’s expan
sion plans would add 345
homes.
To move forward with
those plans, Pulte seeks an
annexation and a planned unit
development (PUD) zoning
for 14.61 acres in Gwinnett
County and adjustments to
the original master plan ap
proved in 1999.
Pulte plans to develop 28
homes on the annexation
tract as a continuation of the
55-and-up, age-restricted Del
Webb at Chateau Elan. The
annexation tract would con
nect the existing Del Webb
at Chateau Elan with two
other parcels, already within
the town limits, to construct
255 more homes. Pulte also
proposes a stand-alone devel
opment of 62 John Wieland
homes.
Pulte’s plans original
ly came before the public
during a March Braselton
Planning Commission meet
ing and again in April after
the planning board tabled its
recommendation for a month.
It advised denial of Pulte’s re
quests.
The postponement of the
council's vote followed a
lengthy Thursday (June 8)
public hearing and work
See Expansion, page 3A
MAILING LABEL
o
Downtown Braselton
Beer fest in Braselton? DDA considering one in 2024
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Though they’re still in the
early planning stage, Bra
selton Downtown Devel
opment Authority (DDA)
members hope to debut a
town beer festival in 2024.
The DDA touched on
the idea briefly during its
Thursday (June 8) meeting,
though the DDA’s organi
zational committee had pre
viously discussed the topic
more in-depth.
The DDA looks to estab
lish the festival as an annual
fundraiser. It is still consid
ering a potential date for
2024 but wants to host the
event on the town green.
“I’m pretty excited about
what that could turn into,”
DDA member Mitch Chap
man said.
Chapman said a beer fes
tival could generate more
funds than the DDA’s Toast
to Braselton, the organi
zation’s top money maker.
He also noted nearby cities
hosting beer festivals.
“It is interesting to see
how other (cities), Suwanee
and Gainesville, how some
of the other places do it,”
Chapman said.
DDA member Chip Dale,
who owns Braselton Brew
ing Company, has already
done some preliminary
work toward a potential
event.
“The more I dive into it,
the more I think it’s doable,”
Dale said.
The beer festival would
replace the DDA’s Zombie
Run 5K, which the DDA
has dropped from its fund
raising schedule. The DDA,
however, discussed the pos
sibility of hosting a 5K in
the future if it can find an
other course.
OTHER NEWS
In other discussions, the
DDA:
•reviewed a proposed
$109,295 budget for Fis
cal Year 2024. The DDA is
slated to vote on the bud
get Thursday (June 15) at
11 a.m.
•recommended to the city
council the reappointment
See Beer, page 3A