River Development Equities ended its deal for Georgetown’s 66-acre Liberty Steel site after it and Liberty Steel failed to agree on an extension. It said it needed more time for environmental review and zoning approvals, and the moratorium slowed but did not kill the project.
Mayor Jay Doyle proposed the moratorium in January to hire planning staff, prepare a comprehensive plan and assess infrastructure needs. Approved in February and extended for 90 days last month, it bars rezoning applications, changes to the official map and subdivision applications for more than three parcels. City planning staff later said the comprehensive plan needs no amendments and that they would instead consider changes to the development ordinance.
At the Sept. 24 meeting, former Mayor Carol Jayroe blamed the moratorium for stalling the project. Planning commission member Donald Gilliard said it had not stopped the development, while Councilman Hobson Henry Milton said River Development rushed its plans after Liberty Steel’s closure. Before lifting the pause, Doyle wants updated land-use rules, assessments of electrical, water and wastewater infrastructure, and a plan to address flooding. The planning commission was scheduled to discuss the site and zoning on Sept. 28.
