Whitfield County planning commission approves eight rezoning requests, including several R‑2 to R‑5 conversions

The Dalton‑Whitfield‑Varnell Planning Commission approved eight rezoning requests at its July 28, 2025 public meeting in Whitfield County, Ga., moving multiple county parcels to new zoning districts that county staff said align with the joint comprehensive plan.

County planner Ethan Calhoun, with the Northwest Georgia Regional Office, recommended approval of each application and described most cases as "very simple, straightforward" rezonings that fit existing character and the comprehensive plan. The commission approved each motion by voice vote; the chair declared "the ayes have it."

The most consequential approvals were several conversions from low‑density single‑family residential (R‑2) to rural residential (R‑5). Staff said R‑5 permits smaller lots, duplexes and manufactured homes that R‑2 does not. For example, petitioner Brian Spence requested an R‑2 to R‑5 rezoning for a 3.356‑acre tract on Cedar Ridge Road to permit smaller single‑family lots or duplexes; Ethan Calhoun told commissioners the R‑5 district "would permit both of those uses" and noted nearby parcels already zoned R‑5 or R‑6. Spence told the commission he had not finalized a site plan but estimated "somewhere around 10 to 16" residences could be possible depending on stormwater and code requirements.

On Dicus Road, petitioner Miguel (Gil) Franco asked to rezone two small tracts, together about 1.14 acres, from R‑2 to R‑5 to replace aging single‑wide manufactured homes with duplexes. Franco told the commission he planned "2 duplexes on each…