Upson commissioners table proposed R2 lot-size change and driveway limits after resident concerns

The Upson County Board of Commissioners on June 23 tabled a proposed text amendment that would align the county's R2 lot-size standard with state public-health guidance and add temporary limits on the number of driveways that may connect directly to major roads from new subdivisions.

Planning staff explained the change would set the minimum lot size at 21,780 square feet (one-half acre) for lots served by public water and would keep a one-acre minimum where public water is not available. To limit the number of direct connections to heavily trafficked roads, staff proposed that subdivisions creating five or more lots internalize access onto new internal streets and that only a capped percentage of lots could have driveways on arterial, collector or local roads (for example, 10% on arterials, 20% on collectors, 30% on local roads).

Several residents and commissioners objected to immediate adoption. Opponents said the change could increase density in rural areas and produce too many driveways on roadways such as Jeff Davis Road, where many mailboxes already line the shoulder. Commissioner Ellington said residents were surprised by the draft posted online and asked for more time to study the implications. "None in support of it," a commissioner said when describing citizen responses.

Given those concerns, the board moved to table the amendment until a work session where staff and commissioners can study the proposal in depth and consider how subdivision standards and access management should interact.

What happens next: the amendment was tabled to the next work session for additional review, and staff were asked to return with more analysis of driveway impacts and examples of where reduced lot sizes have been applied in unsewered areas.