Apartments to replace Baytree frat house, Catholic center

Published 1:00 pm Friday, August 11, 2017

VALDOSTA — After some back and forth on design details, the Valdosta City Council gave Jon Nijem permission Thursday to build 24 brand-new apartments at 410 and 412 Baytree Road.

The complex of single-bedroom units near Valdosta State University will mean the demolition of a fraternity house and the former Catholics on Campus student center.

Nijem wanted to set the apartments farther back from Baytree than originally proposed but some council members said doing so would put the new buildings too close to homes on Pinetree Road, directly behind the property.

While the council was opposed to the design tweak, it ended up approving the project as originally presented, without the shift closer to Pinetree.

A second — and more controversial — development was up for approval at the Thursday council meeting but the developer requested the vote be tabled until next month. The council granted his request.

The development, which would put a network of new single-family homes and roads at 316 and 318 Eager Road, has met opposition from residents in the area.

Council members have also expressed concerns about how cramped the new homes and roads would be, specifically for fire and garbage trucks.

The developer, Tombrooks LLC, is expected to make changes to the design proposal in the next month; the council will revisit the issue at its Sept. 7 meeting.