Stephens County planning commission tables PUD rezoning for Memorial Drive; approves seven variances

HARTWELL, Ga. — The Stephens County Planning Commission on Oct. 7, 2025, voted to table a rezoning request that would have changed roughly 89.47 acres along Memorial Drive from agricultural residential to a Planned Unit Development, while approving seven separate variance and rezoning requests earlier in the meeting.

The PUD application, submitted by DDB Capital and described by developer Dion Duluth as a mixed‑use project with about 165 single‑family homes, a clubhouse and approximately 38,000 square feet of retail at the Takoa Bypass and Memorial Drive, drew the largest turnout and most public comment. Philip Cochran, a project manager with the Continuum Group, said the development plan would set aside about 37 acres — roughly 41% of the site — as green space and that early, high‑level talks with the Georgia Department of Transportation have recommended a formal traffic study during the application process.

“It's 38,000 square feet, not 380,000 square feet,” Duluth said, correcting the project summary submitted to the commission. He told the commission the developer aims for “elevated living” with walkable amenities and a mix of retail and residential uses.

Several nearby residents urged the commission to delay or deny the rezoning. Eddie Powers, who said he lives at 0936 Memorial Drive, questioned whether the county has the population or employment base to absorb the new homes and warned that Memorial Drive already carries heavy truck and commercial traffic. “Where is the growth coming into this county that would require us to have such a unit as this?” Powers asked, citing county population and employment figures he had researched and describing safety concerns at the Memorial Drive bypass intersection.

Neighbor Zachariah Phillips raised concerns about recreational shooting ranges on adjacent properties and potential conflicts with proposed trails; Terry Powers, a long‑time resident, said the scale of development would change the character and safety of the area for older residents.

Staff recommended approval of the rezoning to PUD, citing the site’s access to existing utility infrastructure and the Stephens County Land Use Ordinance’s allowance for planned developments near established utilities and the bypass. The applicants said they would follow erosion, sedimentation and stormwater protections required by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and that the project would be served by two City of Tacoma lift stations.

Commission discussion focused on traffic, access, floodplain protection and how strictly the commission could limit future uses. Commissioners asked whether the PUD could be limited to single‑family development; staff and the developer explained that the rezoning to PUD authorizes a zoning category and that a subsequent development plan and final site plan would return to the commission for approval and could include enforceable conditions.

Commissioners also discussed the DRI (Development of Regional Impact) review and whether its recommendations would be binding. Philip Cochran said DRI provides a state report with recommendations that staff and the commission typically use either as stipulations in approvals or as justification for denial.

After debate, a motion to table the rezoning passed; the commission stipulated receiving more detailed traffic analysis and the DRI feedback before the item returns for a county commission vote. The motion to table succeeded on a voice vote; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.

Votes at a glance

• Item 1 — Variance (Hal Glaze): Approved. Request to reduce the 200‑foot setback for a proposed 2,800 sq. ft. stackhouse on parcel 046028; staff recommended approval. The applicant testified the structure is designed according to EPA/USDA guidance and is for dry‑litter storage to prevent environmental release.

• Item 2 — Variance (Steven Louder): Approved. Request to allow an accessory structure/three‑car garage in the front yard of a narrow, sloped lakefront lot on 131 Steve Jordan Drive; staff recommended approval.

• Items 3 & 4 — Rezoning and variance (William Howard Bell Life Estate): Approved. Rezoning two acres from agricultural intensive to agricultural residential and granting a lot‑width variance for the same parcel; staff recommended approval and the owner asked that two acres be cut out for residential use while retaining remaining acreage in agricultural intensive.

• Item 5 — Front yard setback variance: Approved. Request for a 6.7‑foot variance to the 40‑foot front yard setback (resulting setback 33.3 ft) due to unsuitable soils and building pad adjustments; staff recommended approval.

• Item 6 — Lot size variance (Jerry Waters): Approved. Request to recognize two tracks and create a 0.51‑acre parcel where the minimum is 1 acre under the code; staff recommended approval.

• Item 7 — Lot size and side yard variances (Jerry Waters): Approved. Request for a lot size under 1.5 acres (0.98 acres) and a 2.7‑foot side yard variance for a building constructed in 1977 that is now legal nonconforming; staff recommended approval.

What happens next

The commission is advisory; approved variances and rezoning recommendations go to the Stephens County Board of Commissioners for final action. The PUD rezoning will return only after the applicant submits the requested traffic study and DRI feedback and after staff has had an opportunity to incorporate any recommended stipulations.

Meeting context and public interest

The PUD item drew the largest public turnout and the most substantive public comment, focused on traffic safety at the Memorial Drive/Bypass corridor, floodplain protection, and long‑term demand for housing given local employment trends. Staff and the applicant repeatedly noted safeguards — a development plan, stormwater controls and required state reviews — but several commissioners signaled they wanted technical traffic analysis before forwarding a recommendation to the county commission.