Commissioners approve revised conditions for Oleander Drive subdivision after heated flood and stormwater debate

Gwinnett County commissioners voted 4–1 on May 20 to approve a change in conditions for a previously rezoned Open Space Conservation (OSC) property along Oleander Drive, allowing the developer to modify the subdivision plan while adding new conditions aimed at reducing flood and traffic risks.

The applicant, represented by Duncan Horley of CKK Development Services, asked to update the 2015 approval for a roughly 93.32‑acre assemblage to permit a revised single‑family detached subdivision with minor increases and product flexibility. Horley told the commission the redesigned plan cuts about 1,200 linear feet of road and reduces grading by roughly 150,000 cubic yards, and replaces two tennis courts with three pickleball courts. He said modern stormwater engineering standards make some older 2015 requirements unnecessary.

Opponents at the public hearing — led by Imbby Strickland, Jessica Owens and David Montgomery — raised repeated concerns about flooding from the Yellow River, proximity of proposed stormwater ponds to the 100‑year floodplain, limits of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood maps, and the removal of on‑lot cisterns originally included in the 2015 conditions. Strickland cited a history of flooding and said residents downstream have experienced multi‑day inundation, objected to removing underground cisterns that she said would recycle water, and questioned whether the county inspects stormwater basins. Jessica Owens presented a topographic excerpt and said portions of the proposed subdivision would be inaccessible in a flood event; she and other speakers said the developer’s plan could trap residents if bridge crossings flood.

Staff and the applicant said FEMA’s adopted flood maps from February 2006 are the governing maps and that a site‑specific flood study would be required during permitting; the applicant committed to performing a flood study as part of the land‑disturbance permit process and said he would not build homes in the FEMA‑designated floodplain. Planning staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval with conditions.

During deliberations Commissioner Coo moved to approve the change in conditions with additional conditions including: reducing the lot count to 193 (from 197 requested), specifying exterior materials (primarily brick or stacked stone on three sides; full masonry on homes adjacent to Oleander Drive), a maximum 10% rental cap, finished‑floor elevations at least 3 feet above the 100‑year base flood elevation, construction of an additional access on Oleander Drive subject to county review, provision of a stub for a future interparcel connection to River Club Drive, a required flood study before a land‑disturbance permit, and a limit of no more than ten lots accessed from a single cul‑de‑sac. The motion carried 4–1.

Distinguished outcomes: The board’s conditions require an applicant flood study, added access improvements, and a finished‑floor elevation standard intended to reduce flood risk; opponents asked the county to retain older, prescriptive stormwater measures (cisterns) that the developer said are now impractical to maintain at individual lots.

Ending: The decision allows the developer to proceed under the revised conditions; the permitting process will require additional engineering reviews, flood study submittal, and county approval of construction plans before land disturbance.