Woodstock council adopts developer surety changes, approves Dupree Park master plan; paid-parking resolution tabled

The Mayor and Council of the City of Woodstock, Georgia, adopted a zoning text amendment (ZTA 015-25) updating surety requirements for residential developments, approved the Dupree Park master plan and tabled a resolution to establish paid parking zones during their March 24 regular meeting.

The zoning amendment, adopted by a 6-0 vote, requires performance surety earlier in the development process, expands surety requirements to certain privately owned infrastructure in subdivisions, and formalizes the city’s 85% and 100% walkthrough inspections and transition from performance to maintenance surety. Staff said the changes are intended to ensure that public and privately owned subdivision infrastructure is completed and maintained to city standards.

Natalie Faustine, a planning technician with the city, described surety as a financial safeguard. “Surety serves as a financial safeguard, ensuring that if public infrastructure improvements for residential developments are not constructed to city standard or maintained for at least 1 year after development completion, the city has access to funds to cover any necessary work,” Faustine said.

Why it matters: The amendment changes when and how the city holds developers financially accountable for roads, curb and gutter, sidewalks, stormwater facilities and other infrastructure. Staff said the revision moves performance surety to the beginning of site work (when land disturbance or land development permits are issued) rather than waiting until final plat, requires a performance surety equal to 10% of the engineer’s estimated construction cost when developers record final plats before completing infrastructure, and clarifies the transition to maintenance surety after the final (100%) walkthrough. The code also allows the city to require surety for privately owned infrastructure in fee-simple subdivisions where problems have previously left projects unresolved for extended periods.

Planning staff said the proposed code includes housekeeping updates such as definitions and walkthrough procedures and adds five substantive items: codifying surety for fee-simple communities, expanding applicability to private improvements where appropriate, shifting the timing of performance surety to earlier in the process, ensuring performance surety transitions to maintenance surety after the 100% walkthrough, and giving the development review committee discretion to extend maintenance periods for multi-phase projects.

The planning commission reviewed the draft at its March 6 meeting and recommended approval by a 6-0 vote. The council adopted the amendment by motion from Councilman Aake and a second from Councilman Wolf; the recorded vote on adoption was 6–0.

Votes at a glance: - ZTA 015-25 (zone text amendment — completion and maintenance of public improvements for residential developments): Motion to approve carried 6–0. (Introduced by staff; planning commission recommended 6–0.) - Zoning map update (March 2025): Motion to approve carried 6–0. The update added four previously approved rezoning cases to the official zoning map (cases listed in the staff presentation). - Dupree Park master plan (adoption): Motion to approve carried 6–0; staff asked the council to adopt the plan “as is.” - Resolution establishing paid parking zones (consent agenda item 6-9): Motion to remove item 6-9 from the consent agenda and table it to the April 14, 2025 meeting carried 6–0. - Consent agenda (items 6-1 through 6-8 and 6-10): Adopted 6–0.

Other actions and discussion: The council approved a twice-yearly zoning map update (four amendments already heard and approved previously by the council) by a 6–0 vote after staff summarized the cases. Mr. Borden presented the Dupree Park master plan and asked the council to approve it; the council adopted the plan 6–0.

Public comment: Two members of the public addressed the council on unrelated matters. Martha Jean Schindler, representing Indivisible Woodstock CAN, urged the council to acknowledge national and federal policy concerns affecting the community and to “proactively safeguard Woodstock’s democracy, economic stability, family well-being, and inclusivity,” and described planned local rallies. Jeremy Davis, a resident of 269 Dahlia Drive, described construction debris and contaminants on a newly purchased lot in his neighborhood and said he had contacted code enforcement; he asked the city to press the builder to thoroughly clean the lot. Davis said he found “construction debris, glass shards, bottles of urine” in his yard. The mayor and staff advised Davis to forward the email chain and staff confirmed a staff member (Duane) was aware and working with the builder.

Procedural notes and next steps: The council removed the paid-parking resolution from tonight’s consent agenda so it can be considered in conjunction with a fee-schedule public hearing set for April 14. Staff said, if the council approves the ZTA changes, the city attorney’s office will update bond and escrow agreements to align with the revised code.

The meeting recessed into executive session to discuss litigation, personnel and/or real estate and returned with no action taken, then adjourned.