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Cusseta‑Chattahoochee commission denies conditional‑use permit for manufactured home at 105 Mustang Drive
Summary
After public comment and review, the Cusseta‑Chattahoochee County Commission on Dec. 3 denied a Conditional Use Permit for the Lopez family to place a new manufactured home at 105 Mustang Dr., citing neighborhood character and a 44‑signature petition opposing the change.
The Cusseta‑Chattahoochee County Board of Commissioners denied a Conditional Use Permit for 105 Mustang Drive at their Dec. 3 regular meeting, voting unanimously among present members to refuse the Lopez family’s request to replace an older mobile home on a 1‑acre lot.
Janet Lopez, the applicant, told commissioners she purchased the lot to be near family and wants to replace a 1990 mobile home with reported black mold to provide safer housing for her household, which includes a teenager and a newborn. Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing said the street is overwhelmingly composed of stick‑built homes and argued the CUP would erode property values and neighborhood character.
"Just for the record we have 44 signatures against this," Chairman Charles Coffey said during the hearing, citing a petition presented by several residents. Speakers including Kitara Wilson, Matt McAdams and Melissa Haymond urged the commission to uphold the neighborhood’s stick‑built character; McAdams pointed to zoning language restricting preowned manufactured homes and questioned how the application advanced past planning and zoning.
Commissioner Timothy Biddle moved to deny the permit; Commissioner Gerald Douglas seconded. The motion carried unanimously among the four commissioners present (Chairman Coffey, Vice‑Chairman Biddle, Commissioners Douglas and Frost). Commissioner Damon Hoyte was absent. Commissioners said they sympathized with the Lopez family but cited ordinance intent and the community petition in reaching their decision.
Planning and zoning staff had recommended approval prior to the hearing; Brent Ingersoll, identified in the meeting as planning and zoning chairman, was in the audience. Chairman Coffey noted the county’s conditional‑use process was established to help landowners but acknowledged neighbors’ concerns and said the CUP mechanism may need review.
The denial is a final decision by the commission on this application; commissioners also discussed reviewing the county’s conditional‑use procedures to avoid future disputes. The meeting then proceeded to other business and entered executive session to discuss legal matters.
The commission adjourned the regular meeting at 8:15 p.m.
