Newton County gets update on draft Unified Development Ordinance; consultants outline modules, timeline and options

Consultants and county staff presented a progress update on the draft Unified Development Ordinance to the Newton County Board of Commissioners and Planning Commission on Oct. 7, 2025, outlining the work done on “Module 1” and the schedule for public review and formal hearings early next year.

The update, delivered by Brian Mabry of Kinney Keys Collaborative and facilitated by county staff member Shana, covered three chapters in Module 1: general provisions, zoning districts and land‑use standards. Mabry said the work is “very much a work in progress” and described the draft as a high‑level overview rather than a public hearing draft.

The draft’s Module 1 sets out legal and measurement rules (how to measure building height, setbacks and lot widths), transitional provisions for pending applications, exceptions for minor encroachments (for example, steeples or bay windows), and a zoning district matrix that expands some residential district options. Mabry described an expanded “menu” of amenity types as alternatives to conventional open space — plazas, community gardens, greenways and recreational areas — and three optional residential development types that could be applied in certain districts: conventional, conservation and tiny‑home/cottage communities. He also said a Module 2 package, coming later, will address design standards, subdivision rules, procedures and nonconformities.

Why it matters: the UDO will replace parcel‑level development regulations that govern future subdivisions, site plans and land uses in the unincorporated parts of Newton County. Changes to dimensional standards, permitted housing types, and the way amenity/open‑space requirements…