For her part, Stacey Dickson would like to see some kind of park or recreational area spring up around the Oakwood area on Lake Lanier.

“We certainly would support any of our cities getting more and better access to the lake, not just for residents but for visitors as well,” said the Lake Lanier Convention and Visitors Bureau’s president.

“More access at different areas of the lake, especially where Oakwood is sort of mid-lake, is going to relieve congestion in busier parts of the lake.”

Without any specific plans, Oakwood is looking at how it may connect to the lake at some point in the future — something it doesn’t do now, despite its closeness to Lanier. For the most part, city limits are hugged by McEver Road to the west and Atlanta Highway to the east.

The city is holding public hearings on the topic at 6 tonight and Thursday night at City Hall, 4035 Walnut Circle.

Officials are considering possible lake access as part of Oakwood 2030, the city’s comprehensive blueprint for the future.

Developing areas for outdoor activities and fostering healthy lifestyles are key parts of the plan, City Manager Stan Brown has said.

“We’re not looking at annexing all the way to the lake, but we do know there are properties out there that are good potentials for working with the city as far as having lake access and to develop with city services,” Brown said.

“We would like to see ... maybe a boat ramp and park space. It might be that it’s a public-private effort. It might be something we work out with the (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers),” he said, citing a couple of possible scenarios.

“From time to time, people toward the lake have asked about city services, so we know there’s some interest (in that area), and a lot of those folks think they are part of the Oakwood community,” Brown said.

Joanna Cloud, executive director of the Lake Lanier Association, has said she would hope that responsible development would emerge, if anything, from city efforts on the matter.

“I’m a big supporter of green space,” she said.