The stretch of highway where Yancey and Old Edwards roads meet U.S. Route 78 is considered hazardous by many Oglethorpe County residents.
Situated on a crest, the main highway drops down on both sides, hiding oncoming traffic from merging drivers. The curve of Cherokee Corner is just to the west.
Now, locals say a potential development could add more traffic to that area.
The zoning board unanimously approved Adam Swann’s request to rezone 108 acres of land located on Yancey Road from A2 (General Agriculture) to AR (Agriculture Residential) on May 14. Swann, with SRE Homes LLC, plans to build a conservation subdivision with 25 residential lots, preserving 50% of the total acreage as permanent open space.
“There’ll be a lot of open space that is preserved … through the conservation subdivision,” he said in an interview. “That’ll be space that the neighborhood can use and utilize.”
About 20 people attended the zoning meeting and the topic has received heavy interest on the county’s Facebook groups.
The rezoning request is on the Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners’ June 1 meeting agenda, prompting county officials to move the meeting to the county courthouse, Board of Commissioners Chair Jay Paul wrote in a text on Tuesday.
While residents argue that adding 25 residential properties will increase traffic and accidents in the area, the county zoning report stated the project is expected to generate traffic volumes consistent with low-density rural residential development.
Diagrams of the development show its only entrance on Yancey Road.
“(My father) was turning on to (the Old Edwards) intersection,” said Carly Chandler, an Arnoldsville resident. “He pulled out and a vehicle, which is very common, is going almost double the speed limit … this vehicle just totaled my dad’s car.”
Chandler said she now takes 10-15-minute detours to avoid the intersection.
Christine Halderson, another Arnoldsville resident, recalled witnessing a severe collision there.
“Sometimes people heading up the hill on the right-hand side of the road go too fast,” she said. “They go off the side of the road and overcompensate and come back in and hit the traffic heading into Athens head on.”
The Oglethorpe County Multi-Modal Transportation Plan from 2014 identified the Highway 78 and Yancey Road intersection as one of its 24 higher crash locations in the county.
From 2021-25, the Georgia Department of Transportation reported 337 crashes along the Oglethorpe County stretch of Highway 78. Roughly 10% of these incidents occurred at the crest with the Yancey Road and Old Edwards Road junctions, which had 21 and 13 crashes, respectively.
Other residents expressed concern over the loss of agricultural land.
“There’s a lot of history to that land. It shouldn’t be turned into subdivision,” said Brian Haggard, who lives on adjacent property. “It should be too valuable to Oglethorpe County, because it’s a part of their heritage.”
Chandler noted that as subdivisions are built, neighboring properties are often reassessed at higher rates, increasing property values.
“Anybody that’s actually trying to live in Oglethorpe County will not be able to afford it because of this,” Chandler said, warning that the financial strain could “squeeze out” traditional farmers in favor of out-of-town commuters.