Falls Of Oconee Project Resubmitted To Planning Department Minus Boardwalk Along Creek

The developers of The Falls of Oconee project on Old Macon Highway have submitted revised preliminary site plans to the Oconee County Planning Department that eliminate access to the falls and the creek below it.

The falls are not natural, but rather were created by an old mill pond dam made of rock, and they are not on the Oconee, but rather are on McNutt Creek, a tributary to the Middle Oconee River.

Site plans submitted by Beall and Company of Oconee County for developer Athens Ridge Commercial Properties LLC in November included an elaborate walkway along McNutt Creek with what appeared to be a viewing stand downstream from the dam.

That walkway has been eliminated in plans submitted on March 31.

The project is across Old Macon Highway from the massive Athens Ridge student housing complex under construction and is being promoted as an attraction for students from the University of Georgia and University of North Georgia.

For more on The Falls of Oconee Project and an update on the Athens Ridge student housing complex, go to Oconee County Observations.