Rezoning and annexation hearings are set for Thursday for five properties clustered around the busy intersection of Hog Mountain Road and Spout Springs Road in South Hall.

Habersham Bank, which opened off Spout Springs Road in November, is trying to get 15.27 acres in the city mainly so it can have future access to city sewer, said City Planner James Riker.

The remaining properties, including Parkway Mini-Storage and a single-family home used as an office, are on Hog Mountain Road and total a little more than 4 acres.

Applicants for those properties also are seeking future sewer access, Riker said.

They all are seeking a highway business designation.

One applicant, Eva Cantrell, used to own property at the corner of Hog Mountain and Spout Springs that is being developed as a Walgreens pharmacy, Riker said.

The properties are in an area of the city that has grown rapidly, even with the weakened economy.

The Walgreens property, which features towering retaining walls that have been under construction for several months, also could include a second building with additional retail space.

Work has started on a long-planned Wachovia Bank branch at the Hog Mountain Road entrance to the sprawling Stonebridge Village shopping center.

And SunTrust Bank, also at the Stonebridge entrance, "has an approved (building) permit," Riker said. "They haven’t set a starting date."