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Cusseta–Chattahoochee commissioners deny Conditional Use Permit for 105 Mustang Drive after neighborhood opposition
Summary
After a contested public hearing, the Cusseta–Chattahoochee County Commission unanimously denied a Conditional Use Permit for a manufactured home at 105 Mustang Dr., citing neighborhood objections and a 44-signature petition. Planning & Zoning had recommended approval but commissioners said the CUP process needs review.
The Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County on Dec. 3 denied a Conditional Use Permit requested by Janet Lopez to replace a 1990 mobile home at 105 Mustang Drive with a new manufactured home.
Chairman Charles Coffey opened the public hearing and heard multiple neighbors oppose the permit, saying Mustang Drive is principally a stick-built home neighborhood and that allowing a new manufactured home would lower property values. Planning and zoning had previously approved Lopez’s request and Brent Ingersoll, the planning board chair, attended the hearing.
Janet Lopez told the commission she bought the 1-acre property to be near family and to support her household, which includes a teenager and a newborn. Neighbors, including Kitara Wilson, Matt McAdams and Melissa Haymond, presented a petition and said there have been no new manufactured homes placed on the street in more than 20 years; they provided a copy of the county ordinance and said historically a 5‑acre rule protected neighborhood character.
Commissioners acknowledged the limits of the CUP process and expressed concern about the countywide flexibility the permit provides. "We have 44 signatures against this," Chairman Coffey said during the hearing, noting neighbors’ organized opposition. Commissioners Frost and Biddle said the CUP rules should be revisited to reduce community friction but that the public hearing process required by law had been followed.
Commissioner Timothy Biddle moved to deny the Conditional Use Permit; Commissioner Gerald Douglas seconded. The motion carried unanimously. Chairman Coffey apologized to the Lopez family and said the decision was difficult, adding that the CUP instrument had been used countywide and in some cases had been intended to help landowners of substandard lots.
The decision was recorded as a formal denial; the county minutes note the planning board had recommended approval but that the commission acted to deny after hearing neighbor testimony and reviewing the petition. No administrative remedies or appeals were recorded in the meeting minutes; the commission also discussed the broader county zoning process as a possible topic for future revision.
