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Braselton council approves downtown development code changes, finalizes downtown plan and expands DDA to include Four Points Academy
Summary
The Town of Braselton on May 11, 2026 approved amendments to the Downtown Overlay District rules, moved 'townhouse' to a required special-use review, authorized the mayor to finalize the Downtown Development Plan with W&A Engineering, and adopted ordinance O-9-2026 to add the Four Points Academy campus to the Downtown Development Authority.
On May 11, 2026 the Town of Braselton Mayor and Council unanimously approved a package of measures aimed at tightening land-use rules in the Downtown Overlay District and expanding the Downtown Development Authority’s geographic boundary.
Mayor Kurt Ward moved to add a clarifying sentence to Development Code Section 4.8(C) specifying that each building type is permitted in a tier only where the corresponding use in Section 5.2 is either permitted by right or allowed through a special-use approval; Councilmember Becky Richardson seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The council separately voted to reclassify “townhouse” in the Downtown Overlay District from a permitted use to a special use in all tiers, a change moved by Mayor Ward and seconded by Councilmember Tom Logan.
Council members also authorized the mayor to finalize the Downtown Development Plan prepared with W&A Engineering, a procedural step the council approved by unanimous vote after a motion from Mayor Ward and second by Councilmember Richard Harper. Finally, the council voted to adopt Ordinance O-9-2026, an amendment to the Downtown Development Authority’s geographic area that adds property commonly known as the campus of Four Points Academy; that motion was made by Mayor Ward, seconded by Councilmember Logan, and approved unanimously.
The code amendments change how building types and uses are matched within downtown tiers and require special-use review for townhouses in the downtown overlay, which can impose additional application, review and potential condition requirements compared with a permitted use. The council did not record conditions or a timetable for applications under the revised rules during the meeting.
Actions recorded in the minutes show unanimous votes on each item; Councilmember James Murphy participated by phone. The minutes do not record any debate, dissenting votes, or amendments to the motions.
Next procedural steps: the ordinance O-9-2026 was adopted at the meeting and the downtown plan will be finalized by the mayor in coordination with W&A Engineering as authorized by council; the minutes do not specify additional public hearings or effective dates beyond adoption.
