Residents and nearby homeowners push back as Perry City holds annexation hearing for 105-townhome plan

PERRY, Ga. — Perry City staff and an applicant seeking annexation and townhouse zoning for 19.7 acres on Airport Road presented a conceptual plan showing about 105 townhomes at a May 5 council public hearing, drawing extended public comment and opposition from nearby residents.

Miss Holly Wharton, the city's planning staff, told the council the proposal would convert a county island into city limits and that the site is compatible with the city's suburban residential character and the 2022 joint comprehensive plan. She said the parcel's conceptual plan meets R-TH dimensional standards, includes required buffering and dedicates at least 30% open space; staff and the planning commission recommended approval pending the standard permitting steps and required engineering review of sewer capacity.

'20There is limited sewer capacity in this area, and applicants are required to submit sewer-demand letters for engineering review,' Miss Wharton said, adding it is the city's practice to review capacity and to accept developments on a first-come, first-served basis when capacity is available.

The applicant, Matt Widner of Widner Associates, said the main change from last year's concept is that this submission provides a formal plan rather than hypothetical numbers and that annexation would remove an unincorporated island and allow coordinated services. '2This is the 19.7 acres that is there, and based on the minimum requirements we provided an estimate,' Widner said.

But the bulk of the hearing was taken by residents from Airport Road Extension and the adjacent 'House and Springs' community who urged council to reject the townhouse rezoning. Gary Lobson, who said he lives at 2011 Airport Road Extension, said the neighborhood supports annexation but opposes rezoning to townhomes because the road serves only 13 homes and 'would be overwhelmed by traffic from hundreds of additional vehicles.' He urged the city instead to consider acquiring the parcel as green space connected to Heritage Oaks Park.

'2If this comes to fruition we've got a problem — you only have roughly 600 sewer hookups,' Lobson said, citing information he said he had received from former city staff. '2We want the city to take a good hard look at making this island a part of Perry's park.'

Other opponents echoed concerns about cumulative growth: Lorraine Perino and George Fine said concurrent proposals in the area could add hundreds of homes, increasing traffic and stressing sewer and school capacity. Residents also raised environmental concerns, including runoff toward upstream wetlands.

Supporters who spoke in favor said annexation would allow the city to control development in a corridor already surrounded by city parcels and noted regional housing studies that show demand for attached ownership units. Leroy Hudson, who said he supports RTH zoning, argued annexation provides continuity of services and planning.

Council did not take a final vote on annexation or on rezoning at the meeting; both were read as first-reading ordinances, which require subsequent council action to adopt. Staff emphasized that any future development proposals must still pass the city's permitting and engineering review, including a sewer capacity determination by the engineering services manager.

The public hearing record included questions about whether the parcel was under contract for sale; the applicant said he was not aware of a pending sale. Residents repeatedly asked council to weigh the cumulative effect of this project with other nearby developments and requested more definitive sewer and traffic studies before any rezoning was finalized.

What happens next: The annexation and rezoning were introduced at first reading; council may schedule subsequent readings and votes after staff completes required follow-up (engineering and permitting) and after any conditions or modifications are proposed. The city manager's office and community development staff will handle technical follow-up and public notifications about next steps.