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Commission recommends R7 rezoning for Cleveland Highway site to allow townhouses; neighbors cite traffic worries
Summary
Planning commissioners recommended rezoning 14.1 acres on Cleveland Highway from C2 to R7 to permit a townhouse development. Developers said units would be fee-simple townhouses and could boost tax revenue; nearby residents raised safety and traffic concerns on a high-speed corridor.
The Dalton-Whitfield-Varnell Planning Commission voted to recommend rezoning 14.1 acres at 4205 Cleveland Highway from C2 commercial to R7 residential to allow a townhouse-style development.
Staff told commissioners the site, historically used for a self-serve car wash, sits amid predominantly single-family neighborhoods and that R7 could bring residential uses more compatible with surrounding parcels. Staff also suggested a condition limiting uses to fee-simple townhouses and single-family detached dwellings to preserve the area's residential character.
Greg Sutton, speaking for the petitioner, said the proposal would be an HOA-managed neighborhood with units beginning around 1,200 square feet and an approximate value of $250,000 each; he estimated increased tax revenue for the county and said local contractors would be used. Sutton said the developer would provide green space and a stormwater detention area where the car wash now sits.
Opponents told the commission they feared traffic and safety problems at the Cleveland Highway location. Marilyn McCleary, who lives on Paddlewheel Court adjacent to the site, said the road approaches a crest near the fire station and vehicles frequently travel at high speed: "When I leave out of my subdivision...you've got to be quick if somebody's coming across that rise because they're flying." Fred Gann, another nearby resident, made similar comments about speed and enforcement.
The petitioner said the proposed units would be single-family attached (townhouses) with two-car garages and that traffic and any required improvements would be handled through city and state permitting processes. The commission recommended approval, noting the proposal would replace an isolated commercial parcel with residential use more like the neighboring area. The matter will go to the City of Arnelle (city council) for final action.
