Plans for industrial development in the growing I-75 South corridor now extend into Lamar County. The county commissioners approved a rezoning request on Thursday, October 24, for 1,112 acres. The land is located at I-75 exit 198 / High Falls Road.
High Falls Road Industrial Space
The project, entitled Legacy 75 Trade Center, plans to build 19 million square feet (MSF) of industrial space. There is also commercial space in the overall plan. The first site plan had multi-family residential and a rock quarry. These uses were removed during the rezoning negotiations.
The property is located on the west side of I-75, between High Falls Park Road and High Falls Road near Georgia 36. The future development can access the interstate from either exits 198 or 201.
The Lamar County Board of Commissioners considered the rezoning request on October 15. The request was for M-2 (industrial) zoning. According to county staff, a large portion of the property already had industrial and commercial zoning. The current request would place the entire property under one set of zoning conditions. County commissioners tabled the request on October 15 to a special called meeting on October 24. The board approved it on October 24.
As part of the rezoning request, the developer agreed to several conditions. Some of them include the following:
- Eighteen acres on the east side of I-75 adjacent to High Falls Lake shall remain undeveloped green space, except where the I-75 commercial vehicle lanes acquire right of way,
- A 50’ buffer adjacent to existing homes, a church and cemetery,
- A 75’ building setback from adjacent roads, and 50’ setback from the I-75 right of way, and
- Enhanced buffers along streams within the development.
According to the project site plan, the development can support 12 industrial buildings. This covers 981 acres. In addition, there is 56 acres for future commercial space. The developer’s removal of the rock quarry and residential leaves 407 acres without an immediately-designated use.
At full build-out, the project has an estimated value of $1.38 billion. That’s according to the development of regional impact (DRI) application. This is estimated to generate $21.2 million in annual taxes. By comparison, Lamar County collects $8 million now in property taxes. The development has an estimated ten-year build time, or to be complete in 2034.
Land Acquisition
The Monroe County Reporter reported in May 2023 that High Falls 75, LLC bought property at High Falls Road. At the time, they paid $7.8 million for 1,143 acres. This included 679 acres in Lamar County and 464 acres in Monroe County. According to land records, the company assembled another 468 acres in Lamar County during the past year.
Legacy 75 Trade Center is an expansion of the previously submitted High Falls Industrial LLC. That DRI was submitted in July 2022. At the time, HFG Development, LLC was proposing three industrial buildings totaling 1.4 MSF of space. Their project was located along the north branch of High Falls Road, off Georgia 36. High Falls 75, LLC subsequently purchased the land in 2023 & 2024. That acreage is now being rolled into the larger development.
River Park
Mr. Doug Adams is the developer behind the Legacy 75 project. He is also the developer behind River Park, a master-planned industrial development at I-75 exit 205. It is building 20 MSF of industrial space. Twelve of the sixteen building sites have sold, according to the developer’s website. The largest buildings within the development will measure 2.2 million square feet each. This amounts to fifty acres under one roof.
Featured image shows dock doors on a distribution building. Real estate photo.
