CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — The Habersham County Board of Commissioners elected new leadership Tuesday night and approved a conditional use request for a rural event center, with the new chairman signaling changes ahead in how the board conducts its meetings.
Commissioners elected Bruce Harkness as chairman and Dustin Mealor as vice chairman for 2026.
Harkness, who previously served several years as vice chairman, said protecting Habersham County’s rural character will be a top priority, particularly as development pressure increases along the Ga. 365 corridor.
“We have a slice of heaven here that we’ve got to fight for and we’ve got to protect,” Harkness said during opening remarks. “I know growth is coming, but we have to manage growth, and we have to be careful with what’s coming.”
After the meeting, Harkness told Now Habersham he also plans to change the structure of commission meetings to make them shorter and more accessible to the public. He said lengthy presentations would increasingly be moved to work sessions held prior to regular meetings.
“If it’s going to be a long presentation, we’re going to move those down to a work session,” Harkness said. “People get tired. Meetings can get long and boring. We want to streamline them and hopefully be out of here at a reasonable time so more people will come.”
Harkness emphasized that work sessions are livestreamed and recorded, saying the change is about efficiency, not transparency. He also said he plans to work more closely with County Manager Tim Sands and department heads to better understand county operations.
Commissioners approve event center
Later in the meeting, commissioners opened a public hearing on a conditional use request for a 35-acre property at 850 Preacher Campbell Road in the county’s Low Intensity zoning district.
“It is seeking conditional use, 35-acre property located at 850 Preacher Campbell Road in the LI, low-intensity district, for the purpose of an event center,” Harkness said.
Planning and Development Director Mike Beecham said the request, submitted by Doug Campbell, would allow small private events, farm tours and agricultural education activities on the property, which includes an existing barn originally intended for horse boarding.
Beecham said agricultural uses are permitted by right, but special events require conditional use approval. He described the surrounding area as rural, with nearby properties consisting primarily of single-family homes, vacant land and agricultural uses.
The site includes a gravel parking area that could realistically accommodate about 50 vehicles, Beecham said. He told commissioners the Planning Commission recommended approval with conditions, including limiting hours of operation from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with all events required to end and guests off the property by 10 p.m.
The Planning Commission also recommended restricting the venue to private events only and requiring use of a single driveway that meets sight-distance requirements.
Beverly Campbell, the applicant’s wife, spoke in favor of the request, saying the couple does not intend to operate a full-time event venue and wants to keep activities small and private.
“We’re not trying to have a full-time wedding venue,” she said, noting the property is entirely outdoors and not suited for large or long-duration events.
Campbell said the couple would provide a contact phone number for neighbors, conduct noise monitoring if needed and publish an event schedule online to improve transparency.
“We want the neighbors to like us. We want to be a part of the community,” she said.
Gregory Dobson, who lives nearby on Preacher Campbell Road, spoke in opposition, citing concerns about noise and pointing to a similar event venue request along the same road that was denied in 2020.
Dobson said he supports agricultural and horse-related uses but questioned why an event venue should be approved now when a previous request was rejected.
Following the public hearing, commissioners voted unanimously to approve the conditional use request without objection.
