MACON, GA - Residents concerned about plans for a 64-unit apartment complex located along Pauline Avenue no longer need to worry. Based on a recently released low site-ranking by the state, the parent company is no longer pursuing the opportunity to build Macon Landing apartment complex in Franklin. On Friday, TCG Development LLC informed Franklin's land use administrator Michael Grubermann of the state's decisions, prompting Grubermann to cancel the April 6 public hearing. "It was potential for 64 affordable housing options that we just don't have now," Grubermann said.
Andy Rosen with the Durham-based operation said the company had applied for a housing tax credit through the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. The agency provides tax credits for the property, which must be used to lower the rent, said Grubermann. "It isn't really Section 8 housing or subsidized housing," he said.
Rosen said that as part of the preliminary application, the state department sends out officials to conduct a site test, including a market study and needs-based analysis. While state representatives could see a need for more affordable housing options in the area, the site evaluation did not score well.
Area residents had expressed some concern with the location of the complex, citing traffic problems and road use as a deterrent to building the complex on Pauline Avenue. The town planning board expressed the same concern about the proposed project.
As a result, TCG conducted a traffic study, but had not yet come before the board to present its findings.
Rosen said when the state scored the site at a lower rank; the company withdrew its application.
"This is a competitive process, and we had another project that we were ready to move forward with," he said.
Grubermann said the project was proceeding through the process and was nearing the end of the planning stage.
Residents along Pauline Road had posted signs protesting the construction of the complex and a public hearing was set for the Town Board meeting on April 6. The town recently annexed a portion of the property to incorporate the entire site within town limits.
The group asked to retain the special use permit it had obtained through the town, but Grubermann said that is not a possibility.
"Special use permits are project-specific. Now, there is no firm plan. Without a project, you can't have a special use permit," he said. "There is really no further action needed."
In a letter from TCG attorney Orville D. Coward, Jr., the company stated, "It is possible that [the project] may be reviewed in some other form in the future."
TCG is a nation-wide company headquartered in Maryland. It markets itself as a full-service real estate firm specializing in affordable housing and urban revitalization.
Source: MaconNews.com