Marietta council approves rezoning for five townhomes at 29 Doran Avenue

The Marietta City Council approved a rezoning request for 0.52 acres at 29 Doran Avenue to allow the development of five townhomes, the council heard during a public hearing and approval on the April meeting agenda.

The rezoning (Case Z2025-7) was requested by Squares LLC to change the property from CRC (community retail commercial) to PRDSF (planned residential development — single family). The council’s approval included stipulations covering unit dimensions, setbacks, and amenity and parking commitments tied to the development plan.

The applicant’s representative, Derek Turner, described the proposal as “we're proposing to build 5 townhomes,” each about 2,300 square feet with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. Turner said the project seeks variances from zoning rules that expect larger tract sizes and a 10,000-square-foot active recreation requirement; he said the site meets the intent of the comprehensive plan despite the smaller lot size and that the design draws on product used successfully in nearby Alpharetta.

During the public-comment portion, resident Rosser Sutherland said he was “glad to see that they've reduced the number of units and included an amenity area,” and called the project “a good project.” Alan Worthy, a building manager for Greater Community Church who owns two lots adjacent to the site, said the church’s “biggest concern is parking, and that is before during construction and after construction,” and urged a construction parking plan and protections for nearby lots.

City staff and council members pressed the applicant on a series of implementation details. The developer agreed to construct a sidewalk consistent with city standards, and staff confirmed that sidewalks built in the public right of way would be accepted by the city and become the city’s responsibility to maintain after construction. The developer indicated willingness to work with neighboring property owners on staging and to pursue an on-site amenity area (discussed during the meeting as a 5,000-square-foot minimum in the motion’s stipulations).

Council members also asked that the variance language tying reduced recreation area to a clearly designated amenity on the site plan be written into an approved condition so that the waived standards apply only to the area shown on the final plan. The applicant agreed that the staggered front facades and driveway lengths would be finalized during the detail plan phase.

The council approved the rezoning request with the stated stipulations. The final motion included dimensional limits (28-foot building width and a minimum 2,300 square feet per unit), a two-foot minimum stagger between units, a minimum 5,000-square-foot amenity area or the 10% lot-area alternative in lieu of the 10,000-square-foot standard, and a requirement for sidewalks built to city standards. The motion as approved included the conditions noted in the public hearing record.

The action moves the property from commercial zoning to a planned residential category that permits the proposed townhome product; the developer and staff will finalize the site plan and variance language during the detail-plan review and permitting phases.

The public hearing record and staff remarks show council attention focused on parking during construction, the exact area and nature of the amenity space, and ensuring the sidewalk is constructed to city specifications and then maintained by the city once accepted.

Affected parties and next steps: the developer will submit the detail plan required by the council stipulations; staff will review variance language and site plan elements against the conditions adopted by the council. The project will return to permitting once the applicant has complied with the conditions set by council.