Plans for massive development along I-75 revealed; project could include a rock quarry

By Walter Geiger on September 5, 2024

Lamar County zoning director Anita Buice confirmed last week that she has filed Developments of Regional Impact (DRI) reports with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs regarding a $1.3 billion development along I-75 stretching from High Falls Park Road north to High Falls Road and Van Mar Park.

The development, known as Legacy 75 Trade Center, will utilize virtually all of the frontage along the west side of the interstate in Lamar County.

The northern entrance will be through Van Mar Park adjacent to the Peterbilt operation with a road winding all the way to High Falls Park Road. Some 1,112 acres will have to be rezoned.

That should not be an issue in that the I-75 corridor has long been designated for industrial development in the county’s comprehensive plans and remained so in the newest iteration completed earlier this year, Buice said.

Approximately 981 acres will be used for industrial/warehousing space with up to 19 million square feet of buildings proposed.

Some 350 acres are designated for a possible rock quarry. Developments of this size often create a quarry just to provide the rock needed for construction.

Approximately 18 acres will be set aside along the edge of High Falls Lake for agricultural/residential on the east side of the interstate. Another 57 acres just south of Buck Creek on the east side of the interstate is designated for high density residential with up to 900 units. Both those parcels will be impacted by the future trucks only lanes along the interstate and billboards.

On the south end of the project at High Falls Park Road, 57 acres will be developed for commercial use with up to 500,000 square feet of buildings.

The project also includes 464 acres in Monroe County on the southeast corner of the intersection of I-75 and High Falls Park Road.