Cobb County approves most 2025 comprehensive plan amendments, denies one zoning decision

Cobb County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved five zoning-related amendments to the county comprehensive plan and denied a sixth, and approved a package of commissioner-sponsored future land use map (FLUM) changes after presentations from Community Development staff and the Planning Commission.

The measures reviewed were small-scale annual updates to Cobb County’s comprehensive plan future land use map, staff said; the county performs these annual adjustments in addition to the 10-year full updates. Senior planner Philip Westbrook told the board the changes under consideration were either rezoning decisions from the prior 12-month period or commissioner-sponsored proposals submitted by residents and property owners.

The group vote approved ZD1 through ZD5, each of which had planning commission recommendations for approval. The board then heard and denied ZD6, which the Planning Commission had recommended for denial. The board also approved 12 commissioner-proposed FLUM amendments (CP1-1A through CP4-3), voting to approve CP1-1A through CP4-2 in a block and later approving CP4-3 after hearing one public comment.

The approved zoning-decision items and their staff summaries were: ZD1 (zoning case Z-38, Commission District 2) — existing future land use low-density residential to proposed medium-density residential; site at the west side of Spring Hill Road south of Simpson Road (Planning Commission: approval). ZD2 (Z-1, Commission District 4) — low-density residential and neighborhood activity center to neighborhood activity center; east side of Mableton Parkway north of Community Road (Planning Commission: approval). ZD3 (Z-12, Commission District 4) — Mableton Town Center (medium-density residential subcategory) to Mableton Town Center (neighborhood activity center subcategory); east side of Floyd Road south of Ayers Road (Planning Commission: approval). ZD4 (Z-13, Commission District 2) — medium-density residential to public institutional; west side of Cooper Lake Road north of Daniel Street (Planning Commission: approval). ZD5 (Z-36, Commission District 2) — regional activity center (retail services) to regional activity center (high-density residential); southeast side of Lodge Road east of Grier’s Chapel Road (Planning Commission: approval). ZD6 (Z-15, Commission District 2) — existing community activity center to proposed high-density residential; site on the south side of Chastain Road west of Chastain Meadows Parkway (Planning Commission: recommended denial; Board: denied).

The commissioner-proposed items (CP items) affect a mix of districts and propose changes such as low density residential to public institutional (multiple campus-area sites in District 1), priority industrial to park/recreation/conservation (a Barrett Lakes Boulevard site), neighborhood activity center to low density residential (several District 4 sites), and the CP4-3 change from medium- to low-density residential on Cooper Lake Road north of Veterans Memorial Highway (Planning Commission: approval). The board voted to approve CP1-1A through CP4-2 in a single motion, then approved CP4-3 following one public comment and staff presentation.

Votes and formal actions recorded in the meeting transcript are listed below (wording taken from the meeting record and tallies shown as recorded):

• Motion to approve zoning decision comprehensive plan amendments ZD1 through ZD5 as presented. Motion carries 31 with Commissioner Garinbrull opposing. (Motion: approve ZD1–ZD5; mover/second: not specified; outcome: approved.)

• Motion to deny ZD6. Motion carries 40, with Commissioner Breuerle absent. (Motion: deny ZD6; mover/second: not specified; outcome: denied.)

• Motion to approve Commissioner Proposed Plan Amendments CP1-1A through CP4-2 as presented. Motion carries 40, recognizing Commissioner Burrell is not here. (Motion: approve CP1-1A–CP4-2; mover/second: not specified; outcome: approved.)

• Motion to approve CP4-3 as presented by staff. Motion carries 40. (Motion: approve CP4-3; mover/second: not specified; outcome: approved.)

The board’s votes generally followed Planning Commission recommendations. Community Development staff emphasized that the comprehensive plan’s future land use map is a policy guidance document and does not itself change zoning or allow different uses on privately owned property; zoning controls remain in effect until a separate rezoning changes them.

Officials noted the county’s full comprehensive-plan update schedule (staff said the last full update was 2022 and the next full update is scheduled for 2027) and described this annual process as the standard small-scale amendment cycle tied to rezonings and community proposals.

Ending — The board concluded the comprehensive-plan amendment portion of the Jan. 21 meeting after the votes and moved to address public comments and Unified Development Code questions later in the session. The meeting adjourned with a note that zoning hearings resume on the third Tuesday of the next month at 9 a.m.