Council reviews proposal to rezone 8.3 acres for 33 townhomes on Newnan Crossing Bypass

Mr. Smith, a city planning staff member, presented rezoning petition RZ2025-2 at the Newman City Council work session on March 25, saying, “It will be to change this from a low, office and institutional density to RU7 for the purpose of developing a townhome residential development.” The site is about 8.3 acres and the applicant proposes roughly 33 townhomes; the plan shows wetland and stream buffers that the developer is not seeking to alter.

The applicant team — represented by Stephen Jones, an attorney with Taylor English, and engineer Steve Moore — described the layout as rear-loaded townhomes facing Newnan Crossing Bypass with an internal one-way circulation (enter on the south, exit on the north with right turns only). Jones said the design provides parking “for overflow” on-street but added, “So you've got 4 parking spaces for each unit,” referring to two garage spaces plus driveway room for two cars. The developer estimates market prices in the high $400,000s to low $500,000s, and said units will be sold at market rate.

Council members and staff pressed the applicant about pedestrian access and landscaping. The project team has discussed a pedestrian connection (the Link) with the Turnstone Group developers across Newnan Crossing Boulevard East; possible solutions mentioned were a bridge or a tunnel. Mr. Smith told the council the connection has been discussed with the applicant but “hasn't been written as such,” and that any final configuration would require further feasibility work. The applicant also indicated willingness to coordinate with adjacent developers on wherever the best connection is feasible.

Staff and a reviewer named Mike Furbish raised tree-management and buffer concerns. Mr. Smith and the applicant said the plan respects the stream and wetland buffers and that the developer is not seeking variances from state buffer requirements. Engineering has agreed to allow rollback curbs for the internal street design, the applicant said, and the plan has been revised through several staff reviews to address circulation, landscaping and utility comments.

The Planning Commission considered the rezoning March 11 and recommended approval by a 3–2 vote, adding a condition capping rental units at 10 percent of the development (about three units). Mr. Smith provided the commission’s draft minutes to the council. No formal action was taken by the council at the March 25 work session; staff said the rezoning will return to the council next month for formal consideration.

Questions from council members also focused on buffering between the bypass and the units, the potential for noise impacts on homes backing to a busy roadway, and whether auxiliary amenities (examples suggested by a council member included a small court or other community feature in the green space) could be included. The applicant said internal green space and a centralized mailbox area are shown on the concept plan and that engineering and zoning staff have reviewed multiple iterations to address traffic, trash-collection and emergency-vehicle access.

The item remains under review. Staff said they will continue to work with the applicant to study the feasibility of an off-road Link alignment behind the homes and will return with additional details when the rezoning comes before the council for a vote.