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Cusseta–Chattahoochee commissioners deny Conditional Use Permit for 105 Mustang Drive
Summary
After a public hearing with strong neighborhood opposition and a 44-signature petition, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Dec. 3 to deny a Conditional Use Permit that would have allowed a new manufactured home on a 1‑acre R‑1 lot at 105 Mustang Drive.
The Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County Board of Commissioners denied a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for 105 Mustang Drive on Dec. 3, voting unanimously after a neighborhood public hearing.
Janet Lopez, the property owner, said she bought the 1‑acre lot to be near family and wants to replace a 1990 mobile home that she said has black mold. “I want to be able to support my family; they have a teenager and a newborn,” Lopez told the board during the hearing.
Neighbors spoke against the request, saying Mustang Drive is largely a stick‑built neighborhood and presenting a petition with 44 signatures opposing a new manufactured home. “Nothing against the family, but I thought the ordinance stated my neighborhood would be stick built homes,” said Kitara Wilson. Resident Matt McAdams urged officials to “stick to the ordinance,” citing the county zoning Appendix that limits preowned manufactured homes to certain conditions.
Planning and Zoning had recommended approval and Brent Ingersoll, identified as the Planning & Zoning chair, attended the hearing. Commissioners said they weighed the neighborhood concerns and the countywide application of the CUP process. Commissioner Timothy Biddle said the process “is for the entire county” but that the CUP rules should be revisited; Commissioner Jason Frost said the process “isn’t perfect” and needs adjustments.
Commissioner Biddle moved to deny the permit; Commissioner Gerald Douglas seconded the motion. The board voted unanimously to deny the CUP. Chairman Charles Coffey said the CUP was created to help property owners but acknowledged that the process had been “abused by some” and expressed regret to the Lopez family.
The denial preserves the current development pattern on Mustang Drive, where residents said no new manufactured homes have been placed in the neighborhood for more than 20 years and the remaining manufactured homes were grandfathered in. The board did not schedule a rehearing; the record notes the commission may consider broader changes to the county’s CUP rules in the future.
