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Douglasville council approves Upshaw Mill rezoning with 20% rental cap and three-lot workforce-housing set-aside
Summary
Council approved rezoning for an 8-acre Upshaw Mill Road subdivision after the developer agreed to a 20% cap on rentals and to set aside three lots (10% of 30 units) for affordable/workforce housing to be developed in partnership with community housing organizations.
Douglasville’s City Council voted unanimously April 6 to approve item 26-078, a rezoning request that will allow R5 cottage-style development on 8 acres at 6877 Upshaw Mill Road, after the applicant agreed to two conditions designed to preserve affordability.
Staff explained the ordinance language: a 20% cap on rental units in the subdivision and a requirement that three lots (10% of the proposed 30 units) be set aside for the developer to partner with community development housing organizations, banks or other entities that can deliver ownership or workforce housing at prices compatible with area needs.
Applicant Tony Harris said his team was already planning to include affordable ownership options and welcomed working with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity or local CHDOs. “We are in agreement with the affordable housing set-aside… we want to make it ownership,” Harris said.
Council members asked how to define affordability and whether HUD/AMI language could be used. Staff cautioned that AMI-based definitions can shift over time but said ordinance language can require the developer to work with community-housing entities and place covenants to protect affordability.
Chair Nicole Miller moved to approve the rezoning with the stipulations; Council Member Davis seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
What happens next: The rezoning passed with those special stipulations. Staff and the applicant will formalize covenant language and the developer will coordinate with community partners on the three designated lots.
