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Rockdale County staff refer consolidated UDO rewrite back to planning commission, schedule public engagement
Summary
Planning staff presented a consolidated Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) rewrite and proposed a public‑engagement schedule including a developer session, Planning Commission work session and public events; staff recommended referral back to the Planning Commission with adoption targeted June 9 and an effective date of July 1.
Planning staff briefed the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners on a consolidated Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) rewrite during the March 26 zoning public hearing and recommended referring the draft back to the Planning Commission for additional review and public engagement.
Staff described a phased outreach plan: a developer session on March 31 (CE Steel), a Planning Commission work session April 9, a public engagement event April 15, a Planning Commission meeting on May 14, a BOC zoning public hearing May 28, and a proposed second reading/adoption by the Board on June 9 with the UDO taking effect July 1. Staff told the board draft materials would be posted at rockdaleudo.com as updates are made.
What it changes: staff said the consolidated UDO would replace some existing districts, create new districts (including a Conservation Village district), and introduce a planned unit development district to accommodate innovative proposals. The UDO also contains regulatory updates for stormwater, transportation and residential development standards and includes provisions intended to enable 'missing‑middle' housing such as tiny homes and cottage homes.
Public process concerns: Stephanie Thomas, who said she served on a stakeholder committee, urged the county to phase the rewrite, allow deeper review of sections and said an earlier drafting process left some stakeholders feeling excluded. She said a text amendment she had worked on was later changed and described an instance where a permit application was returned, which she framed as a due‑process issue.
Staff response and next steps: staff said drafts will be posted online and that additional engagement with developers and the public is planned; staff recommended referring the UDO back to the Planning Commission to restart the review cycle and bring revised drafts back to the board in the coming months.
Sources: planning presentation (text amendment/UDO timeline) and public comments from stakeholder committee members at the March 26 hearing.
