Council approves rezoning for Dobbs Road–Main Street mixed‑use project after heated public comment

The Woodstock City Council voted 3–2 on Feb. 10 to approve a rezoning, two conditional‑use permits and five variances for a mixed‑use project at the corner of Dobbs Road and Main Street, allowing up to 38 dwelling units, 14,300 square feet of ground‑floor commercial space and 14 rear‑loaded townhomes on two parcels totaling about 2.36 acres.

The vote follows more than an hour of staff presentation, applicant remarks and public comment from neighbors who said the project’s massing, height and traffic impacts would harm the character and safety of nearby residential streets. Planning staff recommended approval with conditions and the Downtown Planning Committee (DPC) recommended approval with amended conditions. After an initial motion to approve, the mayor cast a tie‑breaking vote to record the measure as carried.

The rezoning will change the two parcels from their current downtown residential overlay zoning to a downtown planned district to accommodate the development’s density and mixed uses. City planning staff summarized the approved conditions: a maximum of 38 dwelling units; a maximum parapet height of 64 feet (roof plane about 56 feet); a condition capping required…