Commissioners pause Powder Springs townhome rezoning after neighbors cite traffic, trees and drainage concerns

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners on June 17 voted 4-0 to hold a rezoning request for nearly 5 acres at the northwest corner of Powder Springs Road and Wood Meadows Drive after residents raised concerns about traffic, tree loss and stormwater runoff.

The proposal would rezone the parcel from R-15 to a fee-simple townhome district (FST) and allow up to 24 townhomes; the applicant said the density equals about 4.9 units per acre and that the project is consistent with the county's future land-use map. Planning staff and the planning commission recommended approval with added buffer and landscaping stipulations.

Why it matters: Neighbors said Powder Springs Road is near capacity, questioned whether the townhomes would increase emergency-response times and expressed concerns about tree canopy loss and downstream drainage. The board asked the applicant to meet with specific downstream homeowners and Cobb Stormwater Management to explore piping or other measures to mitigate runoff before the case returns July 15.

Kevin Moore, attorney for the applicant, said the proposal is consistent with the Cobb County comprehensive plan and future land-use map and noted the applicant agreed to the Planning Commission's recommended increase in a western landscape buffer from 10 to 20 feet. He described the development as a mandatory homeowners association community with a leasing cap of 10% and said the project would preserve two detention ponds and approximately 17 acres of undisturbed land.

Residents told the board they were worried about traffic and tree preservation. "Traffic is a significant concern. Powder Springs Road is already operating at full capacity even without additional developments," said Robert Soricelli, a resident of Horseshoe Bend. Steven Swanson, another resident, quoted Cobb County's tree preservation ordinance and urged the board to protect existing forest canopy.

Cobb County Department of Transportation and Stormwater staff briefed commissioners on technical options. Amy Diaz of Cobb DOT explained trip-generation methodology and said the proposal falls well below the county's thresholds for requiring a full traffic study: the rezoning is projected to generate about 11 AM peak-hour trips and 173 daily trips, "well below the threshold for traffic studies in our zoning code," Diaz said, noting the national Trip Generation rates include studies from multiple jurisdictions. She also said that even 24 detached homes would not meet the study threshold.

Andrew Heath of Cobb Stormwater Management described existing drainage patterns and recommended solutions that would likely require cooperation from downstream homeowners, such as routing runoff through existing drainage easements or installing pipes to convey water to receiving systems. "If the neighbors next door are agreeable to that, then I think there's a good solution there to help that water get through in between those homes," Heath said.

Commissioner Sheffield moved to hold the case to the July 15 zoning hearing and directed the applicant to meet with the downstream property owners at 2250, 2251, 2261 and 2271 Rock Creek Drive and Stormwater Management to determine the best mitigation approach. The motion passed 4-0; the case remains pending the July meeting.

The applicant said it is willing to work with neighbors and to implement the planning commission's recommended buffer and landscaping stipulations, and staff will review any revised plans and stormwater proposals before the case returns.