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Hall Co. residents not happy with proposed name change to road

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The Hall County Commission is considering a proposal to change the name of a road and it has residents fired up.

The proposal changes a section of Friendship Road in Buford to Lanier Islands Parkway.

Hall County homeowners said the name Friendship Road has symbolized their community for more than 100 years, and they want to keep it that way.

"The road runs right through the community. Killing the name of the road will severely damage the community," said homeowner Chris Puckett.

Chris and Pamela Puckett said there's the sentimental and the practical.

"Everybody will have to change all their mailing addresses, driver's licenses, bank accounts, everything. That's a big expense," Chris Puckett said.

Friendship Road is east of Interstate 985. The proposal on the table would change the name to Lanier Islands Parkway, like the stretch of road west of I-985 that heads directly to the lake.

About 200 residents and business owners received a notice from the county in December notifying them of the push to change the name of the road. The residents said when they started asking why, they answers they received never added up.

"They wanted continuity to the name of the road and the continuity was already there -- it's State Route 347," said Pamela Puckett.

Hall County Commissioner's Craig Lutz said he has heard from residents about the name change. He has also heard from developers.

"This is going to be a major highway. Obviously this is going to end up becoming a commercial corridor in the future and as business on the corridor having geographical location is not a bad thing," Lutz said.

Lutz proposed the name change, but said he's not sure how he'll vote at Thursday's commission meeting.

Friendship Road is already getting a huge makeover with expansion and paving the way for growth.

"They can do everything they want to, but leave us our name," said Chris Puckett.