A developer-supported plan to rezone land near Campbellton Road that would add hundreds of residential units and preserve parkland prompted hours of public testimony and pointed questions from City Council on Aug. 26.

Attorney Hakeem Hilliard, representing the applicant SECC Land LLC, told the council the proposal would rezone roughly 27–28 acres for multifamily housing and set aside 83 acres to donate as public parkland. Hilliard said the plan calls for about 322 multifamily units, a limited number of townhomes over retail and “is a substantial downzoning from what the current code allows,” designed to preserve buffers and open space.

The proposal includes a concurrent variance request to exceed a 50-foot height limit on two buildings and a comprehensive development plan amendment. Staff presented the rezoning recommendation as approval, the concurrent variance as denial and the CDP amendment as approval; the planning commission recommendation cited in the record was denial for the cases. Council members and residents pressed the applicant and staff for precise unit counts, the location and size of the retail component, the extent of green‑space donations, and traffic mitigation measures.

Why it matters: Council members described the site as a pivotal mixed-use corridor adjacent to two state highways. Supporters said the development would increase housing variety and attract commercial tenants; opponents warned it would remove valuable commercially zoned land, increase traffic at an already-congested intersection and violate the Clifton Dale Overlay’s height and buffering standards.

Supporters included neighborhood residents and small-business owners who said the housing would support local retail and attract younger residents. Karen Jenkins, a local business owner, said the additional residents would help sustain restaurants and shops. Traffic consultant David Fairley told the council the residential traffic profile is lower than what could be generated by the site under existing entitlements and described targeted mitigation recommendations in the applicant’s traffic report.

Opponents argued the site would lose too much commercial land and that traffic near Campbellton Road and Stonewall Tell already backs up at peak times. Penny Webster Lewis and other nearby residents told the council they prefer the Clifton Dale overlay height limits and raised concerns about emergency access and traffic safety near state‑owned roadways.

Council response and next steps: Council members, including District 2 Councilwoman Carmelita Gumbs and District 3 Councilwoman Helen Willis, said they want a clearer, consolidated package that ties the multifamily, for‑sale townhome and retail pieces together. Multiple council members asked staff and the applicant to reconcile a discrepancy that appears in agenda materials (314 vs. 322 units) and to provide a sharper exhibit showing which parcel remains commercial and which parcels are proposed for multifamily or for‑sale townhomes. Several council members also urged ongoing coordination with the Georgia Department of Transportation on intersection improvements.

No final vote was taken on the rezoning or variance at the Aug. 26 meeting. Council directed staff and the applicant to return with corrected materials, clarified unit counts and a clearer plan that links the townhome (for‑sale) application to the larger mixed‑use proposal before a future hearing.

Ending: The project remains pending. Councilmembers asked staff to place the cleaned-up applications on a future meeting agenda after the applicant provides the clarified site plan, unit counts and mitigation commitments. If returned as revised, the items will be scheduled for further public hearings and formal votes.