Commissioners defer proposal to reduce minimum single-family home sizes in R‑75 and R‑85 zones after debate

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 23 postponed action on a staff-sponsored text amendment that would reduce the minimum allowed home sizes in R‑75 and R‑85 single-family zoning districts and add an affordability nexus to the proposal.

The proposed substitute reduced minimum unit size thresholds and included an affordability component that would target for-sale units to households at up to 120% of the area median income (AMI) and recommended an 80% AMI threshold for rental affordability in certain cases. Planning staff described the substitute as an interim tool that could increase housing choices in older neighborhoods while the county’s comprehensive zoning rewrite proceeds. Commissioners requested additional briefings from planning staff and housing advocates and asked for clarity on implementation, vesting and potential administrative waiver pathways that staff had previously discussed but not formally submitted as an alternate substitute.

Why it matters: The text change would alter development rights in established single-family neighborhoods, potentially increasing the supply of smaller, lower-cost homes on infill lots. Commissioners expressed concerns about unintended density increases, the need for…