Cobb planning panel holds Flournoy rezoning for 249‑unit apartment project after traffic, setback and school concerns

The Cobb County Planning Commission on Dec. 2 held a decision on a rezoning request from Flournoy Development for a 3.7‑acre county‑owned site at the Atlanta Road/I‑285 interchange, asking the applicant to return at the February hearing with updated site plans and further traffic and operational studies.

The applicant, represented by attorney Kevin Moore, told commissioners the revised plan reduces a previously proposed 274 units to a maximum of 249 units and lowers building heights so the Atlanta‑facing elevation reads as a four‑story façade with a five‑story portion set toward I‑285. The developer said a typical unit mix would be about 75% one‑bedroom and 25% two‑bedroom units, and the team proposed a parking ratio of about 1.5 spaces per unit.

Neighbors and nearby businesses pressed the panel on safety and circulation. Opponents presented county traffic figures they said forecast hundreds of additional daily U‑turn movements and a large uptick in accidents without clearer mitigation, expressed concern about a proposed reduction of a 50‑foot front setback to zero in places, and warned of possible spillover parking and odors where service areas align with neighboring industrial/warehouse doors. Cobb County School District staff also said boundary schools are near capacity and asked planners to consider the enrollment impacts.

County transportation staff said the project’s traffic study is under review and described mitigation already proposed in the plans — including a raised median to block a problematic right‑in/right‑out movement and added deceleration lanes — but testified that the nearby GDOT I‑285 project and conceptual express‑lane right‑of‑way create uncertainty that the applicant and staff must resolve. Stormwater management flagged that detention and stormwater details were not yet fully shown on the submitted site plan and asked for above‑ground detention in the final design so the system is visible and maintainable.

Commissioners voted unanimously to hold the case so the applicant can return with clearer drawings and commitments on: (a) updated traffic modeling and any intersection changes requested by Cobb DOT; (b) a firm floor‑area ratio and density calculation that uses the county’s code methodology; (c) revised parking, dumpster and service‑truck routing to address adjacent business concerns; (d) stormwater and detention plans that show how runoff will be handled; and (e) any additional elevation views and buffering the neighborhood requested. The motion passed 5‑0.