Whitfield County approves intersection upgrade, multiple rezonings and grants at Sept. 12 meeting

Whitfield County commissioners on Sept. 12 approved several routine and project-specific actions, including a $298,095.44 contract for intersection improvements, multiple land‑use decisions and grant-related approvals, and they heard public comments raising traffic, school-capacity and environmental concerns tied to large housing developments in the county's north end.

The board voted 4-0 to authorize Bartow Paving to perform intersection improvements at McGaughey Chapel Road and Old Prater Mill Road using 2020 SPLOST funds. County administration presented the proposal and the board authorized the chairman to sign the contract.

On land-use matters, the board registered no land-use objections to several annexation parcels submitted by the cities of Dalton and Varnell. The board denied one notable rezoning request: the Planning Commission's recommendation to deny Wheeler Dam Properties’ petition to rezone 34.30 acres on Wheeler Dam Drive from General Agriculture (GA) to Zero Lot Line Residential (R‑4) was accepted (vote 3-0; Commissioner John Thomas recused). The board approved a Planned Unit Development modification for a 401.19-acre tract at 4616 Cleveland Highway to limit commercial tenant size to 50,000 square feet and to remove a sign restriction (4-0).

Additional rezoning approvals included:

- Sarah Holcomb: Suburban Agriculture (SA) to Rural Residential (R‑5) for 3.62 acres (approved). - Bryan Spence: Heavy Manufacturing (M‑2) to Rural Residential (R‑5) for 1.65 acres, approved with conditions requiring a 10-foot vegetative buffer where adjacent to M‑2 and limiting the property to four driveways onto county roads. - Billy Spence: Low Density Single-Family Residential (R‑2) to Medium Density Single-Family Residential (R‑3) for 0.87 acres (approved). - Winkler and Grant Properties: General Agriculture (GA) to R‑3 for 111.84 acres, approved with conditions including a 1,500-square-foot minimum heated area, two‑car attached garages, a 50‑foot natural buffer where the site abuts a school, and replanting/landscaping along Rauschenberg Road; that motion passed 3-1 with Commissioner Thomas dissenting.

The board also acted on grant and contract administration items tied to the county’s CHIP (Community Home Investment Program) grant: it approved an amendment to the Gilbert & Associates agreement to allocate $2,500 of the $4,000 project delivery fee (PDF) to Gilbert & Associates and approved the Dalton‑Whitfield Community Development Corporation (DWCDC) to handle homeowner applications and receive $1,500 of the PDF (4-0).

Public safety and infrastructure items approved included the board’s acceptance of the "COVID‑19 Mitigation in Georgia Confinement Facilities Grant," allowing Whitfield County to seek up to $50,000 in reimbursements for eligible detention facility expenses (no local match required), and approval of Change Order No. 1 to the Houston Valley Road bridge rehabilitation contract with E&D Construction for $72,755 to address additional concrete deck repairs verified by the bridge inspector. Staff noted the bridge repair is a short-term measure and that GDOT lists the bridge for replacement within 5–7 years.

During public comment, a series of residents urged the board to consider traffic, pollution and school overcrowding consequences from large housing developments at the north end of the county. Speakers included Ann Blevins (Wheeler Dam Road), Mary Smith, Daniel Alt, Vicky Edge, Carol Matthews, Daryl Long and Sandra Lowe. Separately, the board accepted a petition from Sunflower Ridge, LLC to close and abandon Battle Ridge Drive and set a public hearing for Oct. 10, 2022 on that matter.

The meeting concluded with routine adjournment and signatures by Chairman Jevin Jensen and County Clerk Blanca Cardona.