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Sometime in the next two years, Dr. James Bouchard proposes to build a grocery store and a medical office building on Nunn Road just off Hwy. 98 (Maysville Road).

The Commerce Planning Commission voted Monday night to recommend that the city council approve Bouchard’s request to rezone three tracts comprising a total of 24 acres from AF (agriculture-farm) to C-2 (general commercial). The city council will act on that recommendation at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, in the Commerce Room of the Commerce Civic Center.
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There is still time to get applications in for the Dec. 4 Commerce Christmas Parade.

The event, organized by the Downtown Development Authority, takes place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4. The theme is “Winter Wonderland.”

The parade wraps up the Hometown Holidays Weekend, which features a number of other events. [Full Story »] 

Facing a deficit of $10,000 for making the Bear Creek Reservoir available for public fishing next year, the Upper Oconee Basin Group is reconsidering whether fishing should be allowed at all in the 505-acre regional reservoir.

Meeting last Wednesday morning, the authority reached no conclusions, but members questioned several times whether allowing boat access and fishing from the bank is worth the cost.

Jackson County operates the boat ramp on the lake. Recreation director Ricky Sanders presented a budget showing expectations of collecting $10,000 less revenue than expenditures, prompting a discussion on the merits of allowing recreational use of the lake. That cost would be spread evenly among the four counties — not added to the budget of the authority. [Full Story »] 

The Jackson County Industrial Development Authority voted Friday morning to issue bonds to finance two industrial projects expected to bring upwards of 900 new jobs into the county.

Gov. Nathan Deal made the official announcement Friday afternoon that Bed Bath & Beyond will open an “e-fulfillment center” in the 810,000-square-foot former Spectrum Brands building in Walnut Fork Industrial Park in Pendergrass.

“If you order something online, this is the place the goods would be distributed from,” advised Daniel Haygood, the IDA’s attorney.

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On Jan. 1, Clark Hill will be the first new mayor in Commerce in more than 20 years.

Hill easily out-polled former mayor Tommy Stephenson and former Ward 2 Councilman Donald Wilson Tuesday to succeed Charles L. Hardy Jr., who opted not to seek re-election after 22 years in office.

Hill collected 737 votes to 87 for Stephenson and 271 for Wilson.

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