Joshua Silavent, Gainesville Times

Updated: April 17, 2018, 8:29 p.m.

An “upscale” condominium development connecting to the Gainesville marina is scheduled for construction in the summer of 2019 after the City Council OK’d a rezoning for the property on Tuesday, April 17.

The two six-story towers proposed to overlook Lake Lanier would include more than six acres of shorefront property that remains heavily wooded today.

Seventy-nine three-bedroom, three-bathroom condos with ground-level parking and an adjacent office building are planned.

The property, located off Dawsonville Highway, has remained undeveloped since being rezoned in 2000 for a mixed-use development with office, bank and retail space.

Jim Walters, a local attorney representing the developer, Lake 53 LLC, said the condos would likely be priced for “empty nesters” and represent a more restricted use of the site than the commercial projects the land is already zoned to allow.

Walters said this would also limit traffic into the site.

City planning officials said the Georgia Department of Transportation will not require a traffic impact study for the project.

“We know traffic is a hot button issue …” Walters said. “We think it’s the best use for this property and the best use for this community.”

The towers would be no more than 80 feet in height. The property would include a clubhouse, cabana and pool. A walkway with railing leading to and from the marina would also be built.

Concerns about stormwater runoff into the lake that were also raised last month were not addressed this time.

A representative for the Lake Lanier Association had said the organization would like to partner with the condominium developer to monitor runoff if and when construction moves forward.

originally posted in the Gainesville Times 4/17/2018