Planning commission denies variance request for Iron Mountain parcel; residents cite water, roads and wildlife concerns

The Dawson County Planning Commission voted to deny a variance request from Dawsonville Holdings (applicant represented in testimony by surveyor Dusty Lohman) seeking exemptions from sections of the Dawson County Land Development Code governing public access to roads, privately maintained streets and minimum fire-flow requirements for a proposed subdivision on an approximately 190-acre surveyed portion of Parcel 078009.

Dusty Lohman, a registered surveyor speaking for the applicant, said the owner wishes to keep the land rural and to subdivide primarily into 10-acre lots accessed by private drives. “We want them to stay private drives, not public,” Lohman said, and described an intention to dedicate county right-of-way where the parcel fronts existing county roads while avoiding municipal water and hydrants that, he said, could invite higher-density rezoning in the future.

Multiple residents opposed the request at the public hearing, raising recurring concerns about groundwater, road conditions and noise. Terry Bradley asked why the project was described as a “major subdivision” and warned that future owners could seek smaller lots and greater density; he said many local wells required very deep drilling and asked what increased development would do to the water table. “If they get there and put a bunch of houses…my well won't be deep enough anymore,” Bradley said.

Steve Haney said existing county roads would need “a tremendous amount of work” to handle additional traffic and asked who would pay for improvements. Cassie Barham, who said she drilled nearly 700 feet for water after moving to the area a year earlier, said she was “okay with the 13 homes” described in the plan but worried about potential future subdivisions, higher bills if city water were extended and increased traffic near where her children play. Lynn Campbell emphasized fire and emergency concerns tied to water availability. Jerry Ward said local wells had run out several times that year and asked for a privacy fence between new lots and existing homes if development moves forward.

Commissioner discussion focused on road standards, private versus public maintenance, and the fire-flow requirements the applicant sought to avoid. A motion to deny the variance passed; the transcript records confusion during vote counting but the chair announced the motion carried and that the denial would stand unless appealed to the Board of Commissioners.

The variance application cited the Dawson County Land Development Code (article 3, chapter 1 33-6; 133-61/62; and chapters 22–26 on fire-flow minimums). The applicant proposed roughly eight new lots in addition to five previously approved lots within the mapped area, but residents and staff discussion highlighted that exact future development and access points (Tanner Hall, Little Mountain Road, or Dollar Road) were not finalized in the hearing record.