Commissioners approve rezoning for 24 townhomes near Powder Springs Road after stormwater, tree and school concerns

Rezoning approved for 24 townhomes at Powder Springs Road and Wood Meadows Drive after commissioners required specific stormwater and landscape conditions.

The Board of Commissioners voted 3‑2 on July 15 to approve rezoning case Z‑7‑2025, allowing a 24‑unit townhome development on a property the applicant described as “just under five acres.” The board added stipulations requiring final stormwater engineering, a 20‑foot buffer on the western side facing Horseshoe Bend and district review of final elevations, landscaping and stormwater plans.

Why it matters: neighbors raised repeated concerns about drainage, tree loss and school capacity, and county staff and the applicant presented technical steps intended to reduce downstream impacts. The added conditions aim to require engineering and recorded easements before construction begins.

Most important details - The applicant, represented by attorney Kevin Moore, said the plan includes a detention pond and a pipe system to move runoff from the site and to capture existing discharge from an adjacent shopping center. “We can put in drop inlets…when it reaches that spot…we have a drain that catches it and puts it right into the pipe,” Moore said, describing how the plan would capture the plaza’s runoff once water enters the existing drainage easement. - Cobb County Stormwater Management’s Andrew Heath said piping and detention “will be a great improvement” for downstream neighbors, and that the developer will need to demonstrate downstream connections and obtain any required easements during the plan‑review and land‑disturbance process. - Neighbors and speakers in opposition cited school overcrowding, loss of trees and the change from single‑family yards to denser housing. Steven Swanson read large portions of Cobb County’s tree ordinance and urged preservation of canopy. Cobb County School District representative Travis McComb said, “Based on our old formula…we estimate it could be around 5 students” added to the high school enrollment from this development. - The planning commission recommended approval with conditions; staff recommended approval subject to stormwater comments, a 20‑foot buffer on the west and other standard requirements.

Supporting details and background Kevin Moore said the site sits at a signalized intersection adjacent to commercial development and that the county’s future land‑use plan identifies the parcel as medium‑density residential. “This plan is for a total of 24 townhomes, at this location,” he said, adding that the project “meets your comprehensive plan and future land use map.”

Moore told the board he and his team had met with two adjacent property owners whose yards lie along the proposed drainage route. He said one owner (2250 Rock Ridge) maintains an open swale and had been receptive to piping the flow because the proposed pipe would reduce the homeowner’s maintenance burden. Moore said any final connection to the shopping‑center detention pond could be made either by direct easement with the plaza owner or by intercepting the flow once it reaches the existing drainage easement.

Andrew Heath summarized the county’s position: the proposed plan needs a defined downstream conveyance, piping where appropriate, and the ability to control outflow rates from the new detention pond so as not to overload downstream systems. Heath said the new infrastructure could be recorded and dedicated so the county could maintain it if appropriate easements and plats are recorded.

On tree protection and buffers, zoning manager John Peterson reminded the board Cobb County has a tree ordinance in chapter 50 of the county code and that the planning commission had recommended a 20‑foot buffer on the western property line — twice the code minimum for that zoning — to increase screening for Horseshoe Bend residents.

Board action and next steps Commissioner Sheffield (district commissioner) moved approval with the applicant’s signed stipulations and additional district oversight, including district sign‑off on stormwater plans and final elevations; the motion carried 3‑2, with Commissioners Burrell and Gamble recorded in opposition. The board’s conditions require the applicant to: meet stormwater review comments, pursue required easements and platting so the new infrastructure can be dedicated if needed, plant the required buffer and provide homeowner association seed funding for future maintenance of private improvements.

The record shows staff and the planning commission recommended approval and that final engineering, plat revisions and any necessary easement documentation will be resolved during plan review. The board’s decision authorizes rezoning but does not authorize construction; final permits and recorded easements will be required before on‑site work may start.

Sources and attribution Quotes and factual attributions in this report come from the public meeting transcript and speakers listed in the record: Kevin Moore (applicant attorney), Andrew Heath (Cobb County Stormwater Management), Travis McComb (Cobb County School District), John Peterson (zoning manager), Steven Swanson (resident), and Commissioner Sheffield.

Ending The approved rezoning advances a 24‑unit townhome project that county staff and the planning commission said fits the future land use map for that corridor, but the project remains contingent on completed stormwater engineering, recorded easements and final site‑plan approvals that the board required as conditions.