City of Flowery Branch
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CITY OF FLOWERY BRANCH COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROGRAM TRANSMITTED FOR REGIONAL AND STATE REVIEW: August 25, 2005 City of Flowery Branch - 5517 Main Street, Flowery Branch, GA 30542 - (770) 967-6371 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CITY COUNCIL Bryan Puckette, Mayor Larry Pritchett, Mayor pro tem James Herold, Councilmember Jan Smith, Councilmember Jim Worl, Councilmember COMPREHENSIVE PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE Richard Tole, Chairman Brett Barwick, vice chairman William Bagwell Allan Bryans Dow Douwsma Gary Hodges Mary Jones Nedra Jones Frank McGowan Kevin O’Neill Andy Pearson Frank Simpson Alex Wayne STAFF Chris Rainwater, City Manager E. Ronald Bennett Jr., City Attorney Lou Camiscioni, City Clerk Gerald T. Lanich, Chief of Police Jimmy Dean, Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent John Goddard, Director of Public Works James Riker, Director of Planning and Community Development PREPARED BY: Jerry Weitz & Associates, Inc. Planning and Development Consultants Jerry Weitz, Ph.D., AICP, Principal 1225 Rucker Road Alpharetta, Georgia 30004 With: The Jaeger Company 119 Washington Street Gainesville, Georgia 30501 CONTENTS PAGE CONTENTS i LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF MAPS, PHOTOS, AND FIGURES xv INTRODUCTION xii PREVIOUS COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING EFFORTS xvii STUDY AREA xvii PURPOSES AND USES OF THE PLAN xviii AMENDMENT AND UPDATE OF THE PLAN xviii 1 POPULATION ELEMENT 1 HISTORIC POPULATION TRENDS 1 HOUSEHOLD AND GROUP QUARTERS POPULATION 3 HOUSEHOLDS AND HOUSEHOLD SIZE 3 HOUSEHOLD SIZE 4 AGE 5 Persons 20 to 44 Years Old 6 Persons 45 to 64 Years Old 7 Persons 65 Years and Over 7 Median Age 7 HISPANIC ORIGIN AND RACIAL COMPOSITION 8 SEX 9 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 9 INCOME 11 Per Capita Income 11 Median Household Income 11 Household Distribution by Income Groupings 12 Poverty Status by Age Group 12 FORECASTS AND PROJECTIONS 13 Hall County Population Projections 13 Recent and Anticipated Residential Developments 14 Municipal Population and Household Projections 14 Anticipated Future Trends of the Population 15 REFERENCES 15 APPENDIX: CENSUS TRACT GEOGRAPHY 16 2 HOUSING ELEMENT 17 HOUSING TYPES AND MIX 17 OCCUPANCY AND VACANCY 19 OVERCROWDING 20 TENURE 22 ROOMS AND BEDROOMS 23 Contents and Introduction (August 25, 2005) Flowery Branch Comprehensive Plan 2025 PAGE AGE 24 CONDITION 25 COST 26 Value of Owner-Occupied Units 26 Cost Burden of Homeowner Households 27 Renter-Occupied Households 27 Cost Burden of Renter Households 28 HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT 29 Gainesville-Hall County Assessment 29 Flowery Branch Assessment 30 Special Housing Needs 31 Jobs-Housing Balance 31 ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES 32 The Overall Housing Crisis 32 Local Fair Share of Regional Housing Needs 32 Local Regulations 33 Deinstitutionalization 34 Manufactured Housing 34 Modular or Industrialized Housing 35 Housing Accessible to Persons with Disabilities 35 Accessory Apartments 36 ECHO Housing 36 Flexible Houses 36 HOUSING PROGRAMS 37 Community Development Block Grants 37 HOME Funds 37 Housing Trust Funds 37 Community Development Corporations 38 Inclusionary Zoning 38 Housing Linkage Policies 39 Mixed-Income Housing 39 Existing Programs in Gainesville 39 3 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 40 INTRODUCTION 40 LABOR FORCE 40 Labor Force Participation in 1990 40 Comparison of Labor Force Participation in 1990 41 Employment Status in 1990 42 Comparison of Employment Status in 1990 43 Trends During the Last Decade 44 Labor Force Participation in 2000 44 Comparison of Labor Force Participation in 2000 45 Employment Status in 2000 46 Comparison of Employment Status in 2000 46 EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATION 47 EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY 49 PLACE OF WORK OF FLOWERY BRANCH’S LABOR FORCE 51 PLACE OF WORK OF HALL COUNTY’S LABOR FORCE 53 ii Contents and Introduction (August 25, 2005) Flowery Branch Comprehensive Plan 2025 PAGE EMPLOYMENT IN HALL COUNTY BY COUNTY OF RESIDENCE 54 ECONOMIC BASE 55 Total Employment 61 Manufacturing 62 Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 62 Construction 62 Tourism 62 Retail Trade 63 Services 64 EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS 65 MAJOR, SPECIAL, OR UNIQUE ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES 66 Major Employers 66 Business Parks and Office Spaces 67 Poultry Industry 67 Atlanta Falcons Training Facilities 67 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK IN HALL COUNTY 67 Growing Industries 68 Declining Industries 68 AVERAGE WAGES 68 SOURCES OF INCOME 71 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES 73 Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce 73 Economic Development Institute at Georgia Tech 73 Economic Development Council 74 Silicon Lake Lanier 74 Gainesville-Hall County Convention and Visitors Bureau 74 Workforce Development 74 Georgia Department of Economic Development 75 Infrastructure and Amenities 75 Georgia Power Company 75 Georgia Business Expansion Support Act 75 Tax Increment Financing 77 EDUCATION AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES 78 Gainesville College 78 Brenau University 78 Lanier Technical College 78 Quick Start 79 Customized Training and Economic Development Programs 79 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES 79 Rail Transportation 79 Road Transportation 79 Air Transportation 79 Infrastructure 79 Atlanta Falcons Facility 80 Lake Lanier 80 Road Atlanta 80 Industrial Parks 80 Big Box Retail 80 New I-985 Interchange 81 Downtown Infill and Redevelopment 81 iii Contents and Introduction (August 25, 2005) Flowery Branch Comprehensive Plan 2025 PAGE Small Businesses 81 ISSUES AND LIMITATIONS 81 Competition from the Mall of Georgia 81 Matching Future Jobs with Skills of Labor Force 82 Workforce Issues 82 Manufacturing 82 Saturation of Industrial Park Potential in Surrounding Areas 82 SELECTED REFERENCES 83 4 COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES 84 WATER SYSTEM 84 Water Service Generally 84 Service Providers and Service Areas 84 Forecasting Future Water Needs 86 Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District 86 Water Conservation 86 Distribution System Design 87 Repair and Replacement of Existing Service Lines 88 Health Hazards 88 Other Quality Standards 88 Flow 88 Pressure 88 Storage Capacity 88 Loss and Interruptions 88 Financial Considerations 89 SANITARY SEWER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT 89 Generally 89 City Facilities, Service Areas, and Intergovernmental Agreements 89 Spout Springs Water Reclamation Facility 91 System Design Considerations 91 Forecasting Future Sanitary Sewer Needs 91 Pipe Oversizing 92 Repair and Replacement of Existing Service Lines 92 Health Hazards 92 STORM DRAINAGE SYSTEM AND WATERSHED 92 MANAGEMENT Overview 92 District-Wide Watershed Management 93 POLICE PROTECTION 93 JAIL SERVICES 93 FIRE PROTECTION 93 Overview 93 Facilities Serving the City 94 ISO Rating 95 Response Time 95 E-911 AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (EMS) 96 UTILITY COMPANIES 96 GENERAL GOVERNMENT 96 City Clerk 97 iv Contents and Introduction (August 25, 2005) Flowery Branch Comprehensive Plan 2025 PAGE Planning and Community Development 97 Flowery Branch Municipal Court 97 Public Works 97 PARKS AND RECREATION 97 Flowery Branch City Park 97 Flowery Branch Historic Train Depot and Museum 98 Atlanta Falcons Training Campus 98 Golf Courses 98 EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES 98 Public Schools 98 Private Schools 99 Higher Education 99 HEALTH, HOSPITALS, AND HUMAN SERVICES 100 LIBRARIES 100 Overview 100 Level of Service/ Forecast Needs Assessment 101 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT 101 OTHER FACILITIES AND SERVICES 102 Animal Control 102 Building Inspections 103 Clerk of Courts 103 Convention/Public Assembly 103 Coroner 103 Court System 103 Department of Family and Children Services 103 E-911 103 Elections 104 Emergency Management 104 Emergency Medical Services 104 Engineering 104 Equalization Board 104 Extension Service 104 Human Resources 104 Indigent Defense 104 Jail/Detention Center 104 Law Enforcement 105 Mental Health 105 Probation 105 Public Health 105 Public Land and Building Maintenance 105 Public Transportation 105 Road Maintenance 105 Street Lighting 105 Tax Assessment 106 Tax Collection 106 Voter Registration 106 REFERENCES 106 v Contents and Introduction (August 25, 2005) Flowery Branch Comprehensive Plan 2025 5 INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION ELEMENT 107 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PLAN ELEMENTS 107 JURISDICTIONS 107 LOCAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENTS 107 Wastewater Management: South Hall Sewer Service District 107 Other Agreements 107 Education 108 Economic Development Council (EDC) 108 REGIONAL ENTITIES 108 Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District 108 Georgia Mountains Regional Development Center 108 KEY STATE AGENCIES 109 Georgia Regional Transportation Authority 109 Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) 109 Georgia Department of Natural Resources 109 Georgia Department of Community Affairs 110 FEDERAL ENTITIES 110 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 110 Appalachian Regional Commission 110 SUBSTANTIVE ISSUE AREAS 110 Annexations 110 Air Quality 111 Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs) 111 Water Supply and Water Conservation 111 Findings and Recommendations Specific to Flowery Branch and 113 Hall County Long-Term Wastewater Management 114 District-wide Watershed Protection 116 6 TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT 119 INTRODUCTION 119 Purpose 119 Establishment of a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) 119 The Transportation-Air Quality Connection 119 TRANSPORTATION CHARACTERISTICS OF FLOWERY 120 BRANCH’S CITIZENRY Vehicles Per Household 120 Means of Transportation to Work 120 Travel Time to Work 122 Time Leaving for Work 122 Population Density 123 CROSS-JURISDICTIONAL TRAFFIC 124 COUNTY ROAD SYSTEM OVERVIEW 124 RECENT ESTIMATES OF ANNUAL AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC 124 UNDERSTANDING LEVELS OF SERVICE FOR ROADS 125 FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF ROADS 126 Interstates