Development surges as Cherokee County grows

illustration courtesy of Holly Springs Town Center Plans for the area park building and expansion are far underway for Cherokee County. The county has much more in store when it comes to these exciting projects.

The rapid growth in Cherokee County introduces many new parks, streets and fire stations. Many people see this as an attempt to increase the population of the area, but these developments are to sustain the population that there already is according to the city. Mayor of Holly Springs and TKA parent, Mr. Ryan Shirley shared about some upcoming projects that are intended to increase the community and quality of life of his city.

“One thing we [Holly Springs] have going on is, we have a town center,” Mayor Shirley said. “It’s going to be an awesome development. In the back, we’ll have a multifamily space. And the idea is you want walkable traffic to support big projects like this.” 

Mayor Shirley said that while this project is in the works, and ground has been broken, this project had its setbacks with interest rates. He hopes that soon he can get things running faster again. 

“One reason it’s been sitting without having a lot of development on those parcels is because when they first bought these, it was pre-COVID; interest rates were low, and construction was fairly cheaper,” Mayor Shirley said. “Post that, rates have gone up which makes it more expensive, so we’re working right now trying to create some timelines for them so that they will continue.”

Mayor of Woodstock, Mr. Michael Caldwell, is working to make Woodstock a city that connects to all of the surrounding cities. This will make Cherokee County a place that people want to visit and live. 

“You’re seeing homes, condos, retail and restaurants all in the same buildings,” Mayor Caldwell said. “So that way, we can try to build a walkable lifestyle, because every time I can get somewhere by walking, I don’t have to put my car on the road. So the more we do that, the more we decrease traffic.” 

Freshman Drake Stewart shared about how these developments and the traffic from them affect his family and their daily lives. 

“They’re building a Publix in that roundabout going downtown, and they’ve had some really big traffic down there,” Stewart said. “And the lights will be out randomly.”

In the last five years, according to Mayor Caldwell, Woodstock’s business revenues went from $2.7 billion to $5.1 billion. He shared why this was important for not only Woodstock but the county as a whole. 

“Cherokee County is the seventh largest population county in the state, but it’s also one of the largest geographic counties in the state,” Mayor Caldwell said. “Woodstock only makes up three percent of the land in this county. But we’re 14% of the population. More importantly, we’re 40% of the GDP [Gross Domestic Product]; we’re 40% of the economy at this time. So roads in Ball Ground don’t get paved unless Woodstock’s economy is functioning.”