Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Coweta commissioners add fee-simple townhomes to RPDP overlay
Summary
The Coweta County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an amendment to Article 26 of the zoning ordinance to permit fee-simple townhomes in the Residential Planned Development Project (RPDP) overlay, subject to existing RPDP prerequisites and private community street standards.
The Coweta County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 9 voted unanimously to amend Article 26 (overlay districts) of the county's Zoning and Development Ordinance to allow fee-simple townhomes as a permitted use in the Residential Planned Development Project (RPDP) overlay.
County staff told the board the RPDP overlay, adopted in 2021, was designed to encourage unified development of larger tracts by allowing flexible design and modestly increased density where infrastructure exists. Ben Sewell, representing county community development staff, said the change would add fee-simple townhomes to the RPDP permitted uses while keeping other ordinance requirements intact.
The board's discussion focused on limits and enforcement. Commissioner Blackburn asked whether deed restrictions could limit the share of units that may be rented. Sewell said deed restrictions are generally possible but that staff would need to research specific restriction language and enforcement. He also noted that homeowner associations often certify compliance with occupancy or owner-occupancy requirements.
Under current RPDP prerequisites, the tract must be at least 5 acres, be contiguous with the municipality wholly within Coweta County, and have access to public water and sewer. The existing RPDP already limits density to a maximum of four single-family units per acre; staff said townhomes would be permitted only when served by private community streets meeting the county's gated street standards and would be reviewed during the rezoning application process.
The board closed the public hearing (no members of the public were signed up to speak on this item) and adopted the ordinance change 5-0.
The ordinance amendment takes effect as part of the county's zoning code; any specific development proposal would still require an application, review for compliance with RPDP prerequisites, and a separate public hearing before the board.
The approval does not itself rezone any property or approve any specific townhome development.
