Landowner proposes four 10‑acre lots in Elbert County; neighbors and staff flag access and traffic concerns

Eric Jensen, owner of the property at 2072 Summit Street, told neighbors at a community meeting in Elbert County that he plans to subdivide a 140‑acre parcel into four 10‑acre lots served by individual wells and septic systems. Jensen said a prior 18‑lot application was withdrawn and that water rights for the proposal are adjudicated.

Jensen acknowledged an easement and some prior disagreement over access, saying deed history from previous owners (including an easement originating with Mildred Janowitz and transfers involving Ed Robinson) left one 40‑acre parcel’s access "questionable," but he insisted the current proposal removes parcels that previously raised the biggest access issues. "I've got three major attorneys who have reviewed our access and have assured me that we have legal access," Jensen said, adding that the 18‑lot analysis that flagged access problems does not apply to the parcels now proposed.

Neighbors pressed him on that point. Rebecca Jennings, a nearby resident, questioned Jensen's application language that called the route a "private road," saying the recorded document appears to be a driveway easement written to benefit Jane Rollins’ property rather than to burden the lots Jensen proposes to serve. "I did not know that there was the ability to expand that at least four times on one lot," Jennings said, urging clarity on whether the recorded easement allows subdivision use.

Kevin Shanks, a planner and landscape architect with THK, told the meeting that while a driveway easement may allow vehicle passage, using it to support a minor subdivision is atypical and a developer must prove legal access under local zoning and development regulations. "When you go to a subdivision and you're trying to use an existing driveway easement, that's where the problem is," Shanks said, and he asked Jensen what had changed since the earlier 18‑lot plan.

Several Russellville residents raised traffic and public‑safety concerns. Toby Cromwell, a 40‑year Douglas County resident and homeowners‑association board member, said Tamichi Drive already sees speeding and heavy vehicle use and warned the proposal could open "Pandora's box" for more development and traffic. "We see this as Pandora's box where it's opening up 40 acres now with 10‑acre lots, but is that going to be open to even more development down the road that creates even more traffic on Tamichi," Cromwell said.

Neighbors also asked to see evidence Jensen referenced: a Douglas County pre‑application letter and the traffic study that Jensen said had been done for the earlier 18‑lot plan and approved by Douglas County. Multiple speakers said that, to date, they had not seen documentation of traffic studies or any warranty from Douglas County that local roads could accommodate additional development.

An Elbert County staff member explained that this gathering was a required pre‑application community meeting and not a formal application review. The staff member said no rezoning or minor plat has been submitted yet; if Jensen files the rezoning, the county will refer the application to Douglas County, Elbert County Public Works and engineering staff, and the process will include public hearings before the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners with mailed notice to property owners within a half mile and a site placard posted.

Next steps: Jensen must file a formal application for rezoning and a minor plat if he wishes to proceed. Elbert County staff said the formal review will require documentation proving legal access and will include Douglas County in the referral. The meeting closed with staff advising residents to watch the Elbert County website for application postings and to submit concerns during the official public‑hearing process.