[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6159663,"mediaKeyId","5453086-00db7c7d3f4579e807581e89206bdcc7","parentId",5453086,"title","Paulding planning panel recommends Hiram rezoning for 319-unit mixed-use project with conditions","audioSeconds",989,"startMs",1167000,"endMs",2156000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5453086-00db7c7d3f4579e807581e89206bdcc7&start=1167&end=2156","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5453086-00db7c7d3f4579e807581e89206bdcc7/thumbnail_1167000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6159663/Paulding-County/Georgia/Paulding-planning-panel-recommends-Hiram-rezoning-for-319-unit-mixed-use-project-with-conditions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6159663-379c7d9b62fe9ba41eae883be4e2a676/orig.mp4?Expires=1770506195&Signature=RI~uyznHpuazd0Jg1hFyjtvOi0a108kX~mr7pPs9ELQO3lcSLwk86YP-LT93cjtmhi89zDCltuEjY05v6GA~mlZX~2juDnNj7iMT9y1nNB9hDXDEQkys9IRjSuznG9cvfEY8vmzEJRbg1aMMB7ifL-V43NL6pSpsNHObwDgseiy3y1lBKZ9fEd9Z6QQdILntRSNeHawZ0kGC9o6GQZbeuCFuWeL2iuvgqfSEUKdi-6ArkdULiTU7MiXPxu7XWYngGD5GarYEnAJF88IH9vNaH0yOXfDgi0hB4SW7ogeALmFLFyR4FXeNLe3Dqs3-EOTR6KrEBvirqLDzXzlUE5fwzA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-07-23T16:38:16.217Z","article","The Paulding County Planning Commission on July 8 recommended that the City of Hiram consider rezoning roughly 50 acres along U.S. 278 (Windy Bagwell Parkway) and Poplar Springs Road to the city’s new mixed-use district for a proposed Blue River Development LLC community that would include up to 319 townhome and single-family residential units.

The commission’s recommendation includes the staff-proposed 11 stipulations and five additional conditions the commission added at the meeting: a $500 per-lot payment to the school system at final plats, a 10% cap on rentals in the development, a prohibition on apartment units, no townhomes along the rear boundary as currently laid out, and a required developer agreement with Paulding County Water and Sewer for sewer expansion.

Why it matters: the project would change zoning along a busy corridor where utilities and traffic capacity were central concerns for commissioners and nearby residents. The conditions aim to address school impact, affordable-rental concentration, sewer capacity and neighborhood buffering before final consideration by the City of Hiram.

Staff presentation and applicant responses
Rob Robinson, planning staff, opened the application (2025-03-Z) and noted the item had been tabled at the June 24 meeting. Robinson said staff recommended approval with 11 stipulations and that one voluntary stipulation from the applicant would provide a $500-per-residential-unit payment to the school system at final plat.

Rob Hosack, representing Blue River Development, confirmed the proposal and answered commission questions about additional voluntary terms. Hosack said the developer would accept a 10% rental cap and would not build apartment units. He also said the developer would work with county staff on buffer planting and agreed that 26 single-family homes would be built along the southern border in place of townhomes, if that was made a stipulation.

Infrastructure and buffering concerns
Commissioners pressed on sewer capacity and roadway planning. Staff explained that the local sewer basin currently is at capacity and that a developer agreement would be required to contribute to the Cadillac outfall expansion (identified at the hearing as the system improvement needed to accept new flow). The commission also discussed a neighbor request for a 75-foot buffer; the applicant offered a 10–15-foot planted buffer to be approved during plan review.

Traffic and intergovernmental coordination were raised: staff said the county submitted a concept report on U.S. 278 to the Georgia Department of Transportation, but no funding or programmed project exists yet. Commissioners also noted that any annexation portion would be decided by the City of Hiram.

Voting and next steps
Commissioner Leggett moved to deny the rezoning, citing public-safety, fire, sheriff and traffic impacts and stated opposition by state legislators; that motion received a second and produced a 3–3 vote and thus failed. A subsequent motion to approve the application with the original 10 staff stipulations plus the five additional stipulations passed after the chair broke a 3–3 tie in favor of recommendation. The planning commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City of Hiram for final consideration; the city’s hearing date will be set by its zoning administrator.

Discussion vs. formal action
The commission’s discussion included negotiated, voluntary commitments from the developer (rental cap, school payment, buffer proposal). The developer repeatedly said it would honor the stipulations and would request the City of Hiram implement them if the property is annexed. The formal action by the planning commission was a recommendation to the City of Hiram, not a final zoning decision.

Context and outstanding items
Key outstanding matters for the city and for plan review are the developer agreement for sewer expansion, final buffer and landscape details, any plan-review-level roadway or access requirements, and the formal handling of annexation. Commissioners and staff noted the county cannot require a city to retain voluntary stipulations after annexation, so the developer committed to communicate and request the city honor those terms.

Ending: what happens next
The Planning Commission’s recommendation and the list of stipulations will be forwarded to the City of Hiram. The applicant and county staff will continue technical work on sewer agreements and plan-review items before the city’s public hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning Commission Meeting - July 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Paulding County Planning Commission on July 8 recommended that the City of Hiram consider rezoning roughly 50 acres along U.S. 278 and Poplar Springs Road to the city’s new mixed-use district for a proposed Blue River Development LLC community of up to 319 units.","taxTitle","Paulding County, Georgia","taxId",12823,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6159654,"Commission approves small-lot R‑2 rezoning for two family lots where public water is unavailable",399,2083000,2482000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5453086-00db7c7d3f4579e807581e89206bdcc7&start=2083&end=2482","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5453086-00db7c7d3f4579e807581e89206bdcc7/thumbnail_2083000.jpg","/articles/6159654/Paulding-County/Georgia/Commission-approves-small-lot-R2-rezoning-for-two-family-lots-where-public-water-is-unavailable","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6159654-4ee4aca003e7cfa0613dc2f1cecd86dc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770506195&Signature=cVnstnSh~XtwHiaLFNc~OhS8vEZ3RnXUQtOKsYRZaG9LuHHwSoRB75yGFCgTseUlcNkRbta~IvwoeFTqqumYo~w8IPVaotxV7PN-nNeQRmTxEkPCeaTpID2697qF3RsGYSSh5tHAQgGwfY6UkDIV-FmlFzqmTYLK2sdVe1pwvpDTNYIxbx6ko67kT~KoWF93jGzJBZsGgr4XS8ZmBmbok-0qaYVLCE~HdaFiEbz-EarlEpD6vbg2GZ51fLsUbHrolcbZnbniUTJuWXHBd9Xn45AoLkhZCK-QsaRCVysg5yJlVN1E3Lw7izBeV0ghiPBLOtFrPTVtpJMt7SXQ-N8CyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Paulding County Planning Commission on July 8 approved a recommendation to rezone 29.73 acres from A‑1 agricultural to R‑2 suburban residential for a proposed two-lot division to create homes for the applicants’ children. Staff recommended approval with two stipulations; the commission voted in favor and will forward the recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.

Why it matters: the change will permit two new single-family lots where public water is unavailable, so septic and well separation rules require larger lot sizes and drive the proposed two-acre (approximate) lot layout.

Applicant statements and technical constraints
Kurt and Heather Knuth told the commission they intended the two lots to avoid fragmenting land needed by the primary residence; they said the lots would likely be about 2 acres because septic and well separation requirements typically produce larger lot sizes without public water. Planning staff confirmed the minimum lot size in the absence of public water is one acre and that driveway permits and plan review would follow normal county procedures.

Vote and process
Commissioner Steele moved to approve with the two listed stipulations and Commissioner Aston seconded. The motion passed with a recorded result of 5–1–1. The rezoning recommendation will proceed to the Board of Commissioners, and final lot configuration and driveway permits will be handled through plan review and county DOT procedures.

Distinguishing discussion vs. decision
Discussion focused on septic/well separation distances and minimizing impact to the primary residence; the commission made a formal recommendation to the Board of Commissioners, not a final plat approval.

Ending: next steps
If the Board of Commissioners approves the rezoning, the applicants must complete plan review and obtain driveway permits under Paulding County DOT rules before constructing the two houses.","Kurt and Heather Knuth received a recommendation to rezone 29.73 acres from A‑1 agricultural to R‑2 suburban residential to allow two single-family lots (for the applicants'children), with staff noting minimum one-acre lots are required because public water is not available.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":92,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6159659,"Commission clears Integrity Development R‑55 rezoning to move forward after removing access stipulation",0,2426000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5453086-00db7c7d3f4579e807581e89206bdcc7&start=2426&end=2426","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5453086-00db7c7d3f4579e807581e89206bdcc7/thumbnail_2426000.jpg","/articles/6159659/Paulding-County/Georgia/Commission-clears-Integrity-Development-R55-rezoning-to-move-forward-after-removing-access-stipulation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6159659-ea60adf7b9cf885db92f8b56e2849e14/orig.mp4?Expires=1770506195&Signature=cn0kMwg4UrvSJlgvA4zv3YH232li0kN2wZ-gQOoK6Uvllgx90U0i3ix~CUmAurICmcGoOErK3HFeBv~emf8O2hxGIoWes0QyXn8CRBiY1aGWcqNydnRp9TFsMss-JIREKLS86IRhpEfD0g6hP8ZnqgiHjrHQVZ0wDQPK-0RhciasNx~tzorEl8nCCFTjA0JPb0jxMQa-d3vGLklQ5SrgOnuw61DnJGhtrQnBtd4oDuMx37P77wYThfMEziXW-LO5n0pwoW8eddi2TblrHDMx3evrtkzIPpRY36lnSYwudOsLeJQLAT0iDwqI71BNFAIFVEIleuPkOeCyn-t8KSTl5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Paulding County Planning Commission on July 8 approved a recommendation that about 31.94 acres north of Georgian Parkway be rezoned from B‑2 Highway Business to R‑55 active-adult residential for an 81‑lot expansion of an adjoining AR‑55 community, with the commission removing a staff restriction on access to Georgian Parkway and referring access decisions to plan review.

Why it matters: the rezoning would expand an existing active-adult community and raise questions about traffic, access and interparcel connectivity; the commission and applicant agreed to address access and traffic during plan review rather than by a zoning stipulation.

Staff and applicant statements
Planning staff recommended approval with seven stipulations. Jonathan Jones, the applicant’s engineer for Integrity Development Group, said the project conforms to the county comprehensive plan and that his client agreed with the stipulations except for stipulation 7, which would prohibit access to Georgian Parkway. Jones said the developer preferred staff and the county to evaluate potential access during plan review and noted an existing stubbed interparcel connection to the west that the developer intends to use.

Traffic and access
County staff confirmed that stipulation 7 originated with Paulding County DOT and was tied to the R‑55 ordinance language requiring access from a major collector or higher; staff and commissioners agreed plan review could address access and that the county’s development regulations and DOT standards would govern any curb-cut or intersection improvements. The commission also heard that sight distance at the Mulberry Rock Road access is adequate and that Georgia DOT had been asked to review safety at the SR‑61/Georgian Parkway area.

Vote and next steps
Commissioner Steele moved to approve the rezoning with stipulations 1–6 and to strike stipulation 7 so access would be addressed in plan review; Commissioner Leggett seconded. The motion passed 6–0–1. The recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Commissioners for final consideration and the applicant will pursue plan review coordination for access and interparcel connectivity.

Distinguishing discussion, direction and decision
The commission’s formal decision removed stipulation 7 and approved the rezoning recommendation; commissioners directed staff and the applicant to handle access, sight distance and any required curb cuts during plan review and DOT coordination. No public opposition speakers were recorded on the item; New Georgia Baptist Church provided a statement in support.","Paulding County planners approved a recommendation for Integrity Development Group LLC to rezone about 31.94 acres to R‑55 active-adult residential, approving six of seven staff stipulations and striking the staff'recommended prohibition on access to Georgian Parkway to defer access to plan review.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Paulding planning panel recommends Hiram rezoning for 319-unit mixed-use project with conditions

Commission approves small-lot R‑2 rezoning for two family lots where public water is unavailable

Commission clears Integrity Development R‑55 rezoning to move forward after removing access stipulation