Council hears multiple first readings on rezoning and county ordinance changes; no final votes

Dalton City Council on Monday held first readings and discussion on a series of zoning items and a county-led unified zoning amendment; no final votes were taken on any of the zoning ordinances at the meeting.

Ethan, a city planner, introduced Ordinance 25-02, a Whitfield County unified zoning amendment that would change standards for commercial poultry production in unincorporated county areas by increasing setbacks from 25 feet to 200 feet and limiting the number of chicken houses to eight per parcel up to 40 acres (larger parcels would require subdivision). Ethan said the change is primarily a county measure and "little to no impact to the city of Dalton," but because the zoning is unified the amendment must be approved by each governing body in the unified zoning area.

Ethan said the county planning commission recommended approval but also suggested further study and possible mitigation measures after public comment. "The planning commission's recommendation was ... to approve it as it has been proposed and, but also the planning commission did recommend based on ... an outcry public hearing from the public to conduct additional research and potentially install additional measures for mitigation of the impacts for the chicken houses," Ethan said. Council members discussed the potential for a short moratorium for the county commissioners to consider additional studies and measures before final action.

Councilmembers also heard first readings on multiple city rezoning petitions presented by Ethan. Highlights included:

- A request by Elder Ramirez to rezone two parcels at 436 South Glenwood Avenue from Rural Residential (R-5) to General Commercial (C-2) to allow commercial marketing of the lots; staff and the planning commission recommended approval but staff asked for an added condition to ensure any commercial use meet minimum parking standards because the existing structures cannot meet parking requirements without redevelopment.

- A series of rezonings converting small islands of Heavy Manufacturing (M-2) to residential zones (R-6, R-5, R-3) on parcels including 909 River Bend Road, Water Street parcels, and Carl Drive; staff and the planning commission recommended approval in those cases, noting the requested zones better match surrounding development and the comprehensive plan.

- A downtown zoning request by Jason Jackson to rezone 400 South Hamilton Street from Transitional Commercial (C-4) to Central Business District (C-3). Staff recommended approval with two conditions: (a) that vehicles scheduled for repair be stored on private property and not left in public parking while awaiting service, and (b) a masonry façade requirement to be consistent with adjacent downtown buildings. The planning commission recommended only condition (a); the petitioner opposed requirement (b). Staff said enforcement of condition (a) would be a joint effort of police and code enforcement.

Councilmembers asked questions about procedure (first reading versus second reading timing and whether ordinance changes between readings would require re-advertising) and staff clarified that substantive changes made after a first reading are permissible before a second reading provided the revised ordinance is re-advertised and presented publicly.

Because these were all first readings, the council took no final action and set the items for further consideration at a later meeting.