Editing Berkeley Lake, Georgia (section)

==History==
The majority of lands in the city limits (the {{convert|700|acre|km2|adj=on}} Berkeley Lake Properties) were developed by Frank Coggins in the late 1940s. The dam, constructed in 1948, is one of the largest earthen dams in the state. The city's namesake, Lake Berkeley ({{convert|77|acre|m2}}), was named after Mr. Coggins' Berkeley Blue Granite Quarries in [[Elberton, Georgia|Elberton]]. In 1950 the Berkeley Lake "subdivision," which included five reserved Free Pass and Repass tracts (FPR) and the residential and fishing lots around the lake, was laid out. In 1952, Calvin and Kate Parsons, along with John and Dorothy Bagwell, purchased the Berkeley Realty & Investment Company and its {{convert|700|acre|km2|adj=on}} property.

For many years, Berkeley Lake was primarily a summer retreat, with an assortment of fishing cottages mingling with a slowly growing number of permanent homes. The health of the lake was guarded by a small, but tenacious, core of residents, each lending their expertise and time.

In 1953, some 25 property owners met and formed the Lake Berkeley Civic Association. Besides zoning and developmental control, there were important needs such as electricity, telephones, and "an all year road" around the lake. This need for benefits that an incorporated city could help secure brought about the creation of its charter, which was approved by the General Assembly of Georgia on March 6, 1956. A new municipality to be known as the City of Berkeley Lake was created in Gwinnett County.

Over the years since the city's incorporation, a number of ordinances have been passed to protect the character and tranquility of the community. In addition, a comprehensive [[comprehensive planning|master plan]] for future land use and growth was developed and adopted.

Since 1994, five new subdivisions have been added to nearly complete the development of all the land within the city limits. Only two tracts of over {{convert|10|acre|m2}} remain. In November 1996, residents supported a referendum for the issuance of a bond to be used to purchase one of these tracts, approximately {{convert|63|acre|m2}} of undeveloped forest land. This property, which provides both buffer and greenspace, was acquired by the city in December 1996. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070711144143/http://www.berkeley-lake.ga.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=342&Itemid=103]

In 2009, the city received record-breaking rainfall and the Lake Berkeley Dam was damaged. The lake was subsequently drained and, with the help of [[FEMA]], repaired. The Lake Berkeley Dam repairs were completed in 2013, and the lake returned to full pool in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lake Berkeley Dam Reconstruction Project |url=http://www.berkeley-lake.com/Blog.aspx?CID=1 |publisher=City of Berkeley Lake}}</ref>