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DeKalb commissioners defer vote on zoning change to allow smaller single‑family homes
Summary
After hours of public comment and commissioner debate over housing affordability and neighborhood process, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 9 deferred a text amendment that would reduce minimum single‑family house sizes in some zoning districts. The item was postponed for two weeks for a decision-only vote.
Presiding Officer Michelle Long Spears and the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 9 deferred action for two weeks on a proposed change to Chapter 27 that would reduce minimum single‑family dwelling sizes in two residential zoning categories.
The proposal would lower the minimum home size in R‑75 zoning from 1,600 to 1,400 square feet and in R‑85 zoning from 1,800 to 1,400 square feet, allowing certain infill homes to be built “by right” without a variance. Planning staff and several affordable‑housing builders urged the board to approve the change; others urged caution and suggested conditions requiring income‑restricted sales.
Proponents said the change is a narrow tool to increase housing supply on small infill lots and accelerate construction of lower‑cost homes. “By continuing to require 1,600 square feet or more, it prohibits us from building anything affordable,” said Thomas Billups, president of Billups Homes Inc., who provided examples of completed and in‑progress infill projects built under 1,600 square feet.
Opponents and some commissioners cautioned against a blanket reduction without safeguards. Commissioner Davis Johnson said she would support the change only if the ordinance included an affordability or income‑based requirement. Commissioner Messiah and others emphasized that the variance process exists to protect neighbors by providing notice and a public hearing; they warned that removing that review could deny neighbors a chance to comment on impacts.
Planning staff described an administrative alternative the county has previously proposed: an expedited administrative variance tied to specific criteria so builders who meet program tests (for example small lot infill or nonprofit builders) could avoid the full zoning‑board variance process. Builders said long variance timelines add cost and delay that make small homes impractical. Staff also said community councils and the planning commission have already recommended the original text amendment, and county planners are prepared to present a refined substitute that would add programmatic safeguards.
After discussion, Commissioner Terry moved to defer the item for two weeks for a decision‑only vote; the motion carried. The board scheduled the decision for the Sept. 23 business meeting and asked staff to circulate the proposed substitute language and any administrative‑variance options before the next vote.
Why it matters: County officials said the change is one of several tools to address rising housing costs, alongside a housing trust fund and community land trust. Supporters argued the smaller‑size option will help nonprofits and small builders complete affordable infill projects more quickly; critics said the county should require price or income limits or keep the variance process to preserve neighbor input.
The board asked planning staff to provide the substitute language and additional analysis, including how the change would interact with the DeKalb Land Bank and existing infill projects, before the Sept. 23 decision.
