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Whitfield County commissioners approve a rezoning and send a large subdivision request back to planning amid resident concerns
Summary
The board rezoned a 3.47-acre Rocky Face tract with conditions, returned a 111.84-acre request to the Planning Commission with suggested standards, and heard several residents raise concerns about large housing developments.
Whitfield County commissioners on Aug. 8 approved a rezoning for a small Rocky Face property while directing a much larger subdivision request back to the Planning Commission for further review, and they heard several residents voice opposition to large housing developments in Cohutta-area neighborhoods.
The board voted 4-0 to rezone a 3.47-acre parcel at 272 LaFayette Road owned by Gregory Greeson from Low-Density Single-Family Residential (R-2) to Rural Residential (R-5), with conditions prohibiting manufactured homes and duplexes "in order to protect the site-built single-family detached character of this area," according to the minutes.
A separate request by Winkler and Grant Properties to rezone 111.84 acres on Rauschenberg Road from General Agriculture (GA) to Medium-Density Single-Family Residential (R-3) was sent back to the Planning Commission. Commissioners included suggested standards for future consideration—minimum 1,600-square-foot home size, two-car garages and minimum lot sizes of three-quarters of an acre—and flagged traffic concerns on Rauschenberg Road. The motion to remand the request passed 4-0.
Public comment during the meeting included remarks from residents Vicky Alt and Matt Coker, who both addressed the board about their concerns with large housing developments. Later in the meeting, Jesse Peeples questioned development at the Old City Jail site; Susan Lowe urged keeping the Town of Cohutta "as it is now" without large housing projects, and Daryl Long argued zoning provides a framework but should not unduly restrict property owners.
Ending: The Planning Commission will revisit the Winkler and Grant request with the board's suggested conditions; the Greeson rezoning was approved with conditions limiting housing types on the parcel.
