01.22.2004
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The development of property at Oakland Plantation likely will include upscale homes and shops and possibly the relocation of First Baptist Church of Albany to Lee County. Though the long-range plan is still being hammered out, John Temp Phillips III, an Albany area businessman and one of the seven partners that own the 5,700-acre property, said the goal is to preserve the pristine land for the community. “We feel like we’ve got a real gem and a really fine piece of property,” Phillips said.
Phillips, owner of Applied Fiber Telecommunications, said that tentative plans call for about 7,000 housing units ranging from condominiums to plantation-style estate homes, complemented by a lake and retail centers. Development could take 20 years or more to complete, he said.“Were not making a ‘pop-in’ thing here, where people pop in a housing subdivision here and a shopping center there. We’re making a master plan,” Phillips said.
He said details about where and what will end up being built are still being worked out, but he said he and the other investors envision a place of which metro Albany residents can be proud. David Campbell, former owner of Medley Restaurant Supply and other partner in the development, said he and the other owners are lifelong resident of the area and love the land they’re developing. “We want to protect the land and be good stewards of the land,” Campbell said. “We want something the community can be proud of. We want this to be an effort our children could look back on and say ‘This is a beautiful thing,’” Campbell said.
One of the residents on the property could be First Baptist Church of Albany, 400 Pine Ave., in downtown Albany. Founded in 1839, its current building was completed in 1918.The Albany church has been looking for a new location that could better serve its parishioners, said Dr. James Ramsey, church pastor.He said a 20-acre tract on the plantation being offered to the church is one of many possible relocation sites the church has explored.
A committee appointed to find a new church site favors the Oakland property and will make that recommendation Wednesday night to the church membership, Ramsey said.Ramsey said that, aside from the current facility, the church must consider where most parishioners live and are expected to live.“Where are the people who go to this church and where are the people that would go to this church?” he asked.
Tim Martin, president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, said that although he has not seen plans for the development, he feels a long-range plan will allow the project to succeed.“These are intelligent men and they will have a solid plan. That they know the community they are in is encouraging,” Martin said.
Oakland Plantation is located off U.S. Highway 82 all the way to Armena Road in Lee County, covering about nine square miles on the east side of the road.
In addition to Phillips and Campbell, other partners include Barry Carr, Red Carr, Dell Bush, Bruce Melton and Jim Bacon.The Carrs are owners of Safe-Aire Heating and Cooling, among other interests. Bush is owner of AAA Concrete Products Corp. Melton is owner of Oxford Construction Co., and Bacon is affiliated with Safe-Aire. Several of the owners have experience in real estate development.
Oakland Plantation previously was owned by descendants of the late O.D. Carlton II. Carlton, who died in February 2000, was founder of Carlton Co. He used the plantation primarily as a hunting retreat and wildlife preserve.
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