BriarRose, Former Ginn Community, Under New Leadership
Atlanta-based developer takes over Oconee Valley development once run by Ginn.
Palm Coast, Florida – March 2, 2009 – GoToby.com has reported previously on the BriarRose, a unique country lifestyle planned community in Georgia’s Oconee Valley. Months after Lubert-Adler (Ginn-LA BriarRose Holdings Ltd., LLLP) turned over operation to an affiliate of Atlanta-based PM Communities (Patrick Malloy), a communication was finally sent to property owners (click to read copy). The letter to property owners acknowledges the delay in communications. It also reveals some of the headaches inherent in taking over from developers who have left unfulfilled promises in their wake.
Besides suffering from a lack of completed infrastructure and amenities, BriarRose apparently is suffering from a backlash of local opinion. The original developer, Jeff Davis, pledged to donate $750,000 towards the cost of a new field house for the local school district. When the donation was due, Davis failed to pay. In fact he failed to respond at all. The school was forced to borrow to make up the shortfall.
[Note: In my recent commentary entitled The Bobby Ginn Enigma, I stated that "Bobby surrounded himself with cronies, including some who shared in his past debacles. Some of these cronies were unethical. Some were incompetent. Some were reportedly dishonest. They took advantage of Bobby’s lack of oversight and misplaced trust. Bobby either overlooked or condoned their actions and kept them on the payroll too long."Jeff Davis would be counted among those cronies.]
Along came Davis’s former colleague, Bobby Ginn with his financial partner Lubert Adler. They purchased BriarRose, bailing out Davis. Ginn paid $100,000 toward the field house but no more. It’s probably not mere conjecture to assume that the failure to pay the pledged amount had something to do with the "legal but egregious" assessments applied by the county to BriarRose property thereafter.
Lubert Adler eventually replaced Ginn’s developer role with Patrick Malloy. It apparently took months for Malloy to get his arms around the problems he inherited at BriarRose, but he and Lubert Adler did move to make things right with the school district by paying the remaining pledged amount ($650,000). In return, the Hancock County Board of Education issued a letter (click to read copy) to county residents, expressing their acknowledgment and approval of Malloy’s and Lubert Adler’s corporate citizenship.
Briar Rose
Immediately they must change the name. We spend summers at Reynolds Plantation, no one is even tempted to look at "Briar Rose" a few miles away.
The new developer is a responsible corporation, the earthy concept plays well, no sportsman would proudly tell their friends they set foot on this property.
jeff davis is scum
jEFF dAVIS MUST DIE