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Planning commission denies rezoning for 18‑unit complex on Fondale Lane
Summary
Whitfield County Planning Commission voted to deny a rezoning request that would have allowed an 18‑unit apartment development on a 5.54‑acre parcel on Fondale Lane after staff noted development constraints and neighbors raised traffic, flooding and character concerns.
The Whitfield County Planning Commission on March 24 denied a petition to rezone about 5.54 acres on Fondale Lane from R5 (rural residential) to R7 (high‑density residential), a change the petitioner said would allow an 18‑unit multifamily development.
Staff planner Ethan Calhoun of the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission told the commission the property is limited by a pond covering about half the tract, narrow road frontage and constrained developable area, and that utilities and stormwater would have to be addressed if the project moved forward. Calhoun said the area shows some existing multifamily character but that the proposed buildings would be close to adjacent single‑family lots and lacked a substantial buffer or a planned‑unit development design to ease the transition.
The proposal was presented on behalf of petitioner Ryan Beavers by Tom Minor. Minor said Beavers planned an apartment product of three buildings on the tract and described the proposal as a use consistent with the neighborhood’s multifamily pattern. Minor said the development’s final layout would be refined during permitting and that sewer service is available in the area.
Several nearby residents spoke in opposition at the public hearing. Dan Hocker, 152 Princess Drive, said he opposed the application because of increased traffic through a narrow southern entrance and the effect on neighborhood character. “I’m opposed to this application,” Hocker said. Richard Flickinger, 141 Princess Drive, said the site floods in heavy rain and expressed safety concerns for children and residents who walk in the neighborhood.
Commission discussion referenced the site constraints staff described: limited road access, pond coverage, proximity to existing single‑family lots, and the feasibility of stormwater controls. Some commissioners said the factors supported denial; one commissioner said their view “leans more toward a denial than an approval.” The commission voted to deny the rezoning request; a motion to deny was made and seconded and the commission carried the motion by voice vote.
The denial means the property will remain R5, where the site could support a single family home, a manufactured home or, where allowed, a duplex. Commissioners and staff repeatedly noted that engineering, stormwater and access issues would need to be resolved for any future development beyond what the current zoning allows.
The commission’s action was taken during the March 24 regular meeting in Dalton. No timetable for a revised petition or a new application was announced at the meeting.
