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Commission approves 10‑unit townhome rezoning despite neighborhood stormwater and floodplain objections
Summary
The board approved a rezoning for 10 townhomes on a narrow Vineyard Way parcel despite neighbor concerns that a detention feature and part of the site lie in a FEMA‑mapped floodplain.
The Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted 3‑2 to approve a rezoning that will permit a 10‑unit townhome development on a 1.25–1.4 acre parcel on Vineyard Way.
The proposal was a return to an earlier zoning category (RM‑8) and the applicant said the project closely follows a prior approval for duplex units on the site. Developer representatives said they had removed requests for front‑yard variances and had revised the site plan to address several technical department comments.
Neighbors and the Chateau Walk Homeowners Association opposed the rezoning at the hearing, primarily on stormwater and floodplain grounds. “The property is too narrow and not long enough for 10 additional units,” resident Candace Spencer said, and presented a FEMA floodplain map showing a portion of the site within mapped floodplain. Another adjacent homeowner said a dry creek channel at the back of the property already fills to knee depth in heavy rain and that additional runoff could overflow into back yards.
Andrew Heath of Cobb County Stormwater Management told the board the south end of the parcel is graphically shown in FEMA floodplain mapping and that the precise floodplain elevation must be correlated to the site survey during plan review. He also explained that denser development often uses retaining walls to contain detention ponds; if the detention location encroaches on mapped floodplain the developer must show the pond can be built outside the floodplain or change the plan accordingly.
Commissioner Sheffield, who moved approval, said staff and the planning commission had recommended approval and that the rezoning aligned with the future‑land‑use map’s high‑density designation and the transition between surrounding zonings. The board added multiple conditions, including construction time limits, elevated material requirements (no vinyl siding), a six‑foot iron fence with screening around the detention area, a one‑time pre‑funded $10,000 private‑road maintenance contribution, HOA covenants and other site‑specific architectural and landscape stipulations.
Vote and next steps: The motion passed 3‑2 (Commissioners Burrell and Gamble opposed). Staff will require the developer to resolve floodplain and stormwater uncertainties at plan review; the board’s action approves the rezoning subject to the stated conditions and final plan review.
Key condition highlights: site plan received 10/18/2025 controls, construction hours limited, detention fencing and screening, HOA covenants, a $10,000 road‑maintenance contribution, and district‑commissioner approval of final elevations, colors and landscaping.
