Milton planning panel asks staff to study drainage, tree canopy and screening for proposed Little River Farms Phase 2

The Milton Planning Commission on Oct. 22, 2025, recommended that the City of Milton community development director review hydrology and drainage feasibility, the ability to meet tree‑canopy requirements, and the potential for additional evergreen screening along the north property line for the proposed Little River Farms Phase 2 preliminary plat; commissioners also asked staff to discuss with the developer the possibility of seeking a variance to move houses farther from the north property line.

The recommendation followed a staff presentation, an applicant presentation and nearly two hours of public comment from neighbors who said the 10‑lot plan would remove tree buffers, worsen noise from the adjacent event facility and risk erosion into the Little River. Commissioners voted unanimously to forward the items for staff review; the preliminary plat itself meets current requirements in the city’s Unified Development Code as submitted.

Why it matters: The 16.6‑acre parcel, proposed by Chatham Neighborhoods LLC as Little River Farms Phase 2, would add 10 single‑family lots directly behind homes in Taylor Glen and adjacent subdivisions. Neighbors said the change from earlier public materials — which showed a five‑lot scenario — amounts to a “bait and switch” and warned of noise, stormwater and visual impacts to existing backyards and the Little River corridor.

Robin McDonald, the city’s zoning manager, told commissioners the property is zoned AG‑1 within the rural Milton Overlay District, contains about 16.6 acres, and includes a floodplain and state/city stream buffers that together create a roughly 75‑foot non‑impervious setback along the Little River. McDonald said the preliminary plat shows 10 lots ranging roughly from 1.2 to 2.3 acres, a…