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Cusseta–Chattahoochee commission denies Lopez family request to place manufactured home on 1‑acre Mustang Drive lot
Summary
On Dec. 3 the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County denied a Conditional Use Permit for 105 Mustang Dr., a 1‑acre R‑1 lot where the Lopez family proposed replacing a 1990 mobile home they said has black mold. Commissioners cited neighborhood character and a 44‑signature petition opposing the move.
On Dec. 3, 2024, the Board of Commissioners of the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County voted unanimously to deny a Conditional Use Permit requested by the Lopez family to place a new manufactured home on a 1‑acre lot at 105 Mustang Drive in Cusseta.
The hearing opened with Chairman Charles Coffey noting that planning and zoning had recommended approval and that a planning representative, Brent Ingersoll, was present. Applicant Janet Lopez told the board she bought the property to be near family and said the existing 1990 mobile home has black mold; she said her family includes a teenager and a newborn and she wants to improve the property’s value.
Neighbors spoke in opposition. Resident Matt McAdams said he “does not see how it meets the conditions” laid out for conditional uses, and others argued Mustang Drive is a stick‑built home neighborhood where new manufactured homes are inconsistent with long‑standing expectations. Petitioners submitted a neighborhood petition with 44 signatures opposing the CUP; the petition and sign‑in sheets were entered as part of the public record.
After public comment, Commissioner Timothy Biddle moved to deny the CUP; Commissioner Gerald Douglas seconded the motion. The vote was recorded as unanimous in favor of denial (Chairman Coffey, Biddle, Douglas and Commissioner Jason Frost voted yes; Commissioner Damon Hoyte was absent). Chairman Coffey and Commissioner Biddle both said they regretted the outcome and indicated the county needs to review how the CUP process is being applied. Coffey also noted for the record that the county faces a separate $5 million lawsuit related to a prior decision, a point he raised in explaining the sensitivity of zoning choices.
Planning staff had noted the lot is zoned R‑1 and is one acre; opponents and some commissioners said the neighborhood historically contains primarily stick‑built homes and that the county’s older 5‑acre rule (which had limited placement of manufactured homes) had been removed in favor of a conditional‑use process. Neighbors said the existing manufactured homes in the area had been grandfathered and that no new manufactured homes had been placed on Mustang Drive in about 20 years. One resident told the board she had a builder willing to construct a stick‑built home for roughly $112,000 if the Lopez family wished to pursue that option.
The chair closed the public hearing portion of the meeting and the board moved on to other business. The minutes of the Dec. 3 meeting were later approved by the board at its Jan. 7, 2025 regular meeting.
What happens next: Commissioners said they want to revisit and potentially revise the county’s conditional‑use rules to address concerns residents raised about neighborhood character and to clarify the review process for manufactured‑home requests. No change to the CUP decision was recorded at the Dec. 3 meeting; any ordinance changes would require further public hearings and formal action.
