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Newton County commissioners table rezoning request for Highway 81 and Cowen Road after resident safety and drainage concerns
Summary
The board paused a proposal to rezone 3.63 acres at Highway 81 & Cowen Road from single‑family to general commercial, citing outstanding technical and community‑concern issues. Planning staff and residents disagreed over traffic, drainage and potential future uses; the board voted to table the petition for 60 days to allow additional matters to be resolved.
The Newton County Board of Commissioners on June 16 opened a public hearing on rezoning petition REZ26‑0000004, a request to change 3.63 acres at the corner of Highway 81 and Cowen Road from R‑2 (single‑family residential) to General Commercial for a proposed multi‑tenant retail building.
Planning staff outlined the proposal and site constraints: the concept calls for a roughly 10,800‑square‑foot building with 72 parking spaces, proposed access from Cowen Road (GDOT will not allow a new entrance on Highway 81), stormwater controls and a proposed 75‑foot transitional buffer where required. Staff said the trip generation estimate did not meet the county threshold for a formal traffic study but noted drainage and septic‑field questions and the likelihood that additional studies or redesigns would be required.
Residents from adjacent neighborhoods strongly opposed rezoning at the public hearing. "We purchased our homes in this community that is zone residential… We are opposed to rezoning in our close‑knit community that would threaten our investment or our current quality of life," said resident Waka Hughes. Anita Lewis and other speakers described heavy school‑related traffic at nearby Livingstone Elementary, limited sightlines, and pedestrian safety concerns where buses and children use Cowen Road without sidewalks.
Joseph Price, the project designer for the applicant, identified himself and said he would answer questions about site design. Planning staff noted the Planning Commission recommended denial 5–0 at its June 15 meeting and that the county had received letters and a petition in opposition.
After hearing residents and staff, the District 2 commissioner moved to table the petition for 60 days to allow "very serious matters" tied to the site to be resolved before the board decides. The motion was seconded and approved; the rezoning will return for further consideration after the delay.
The board’s action preserves the existing R‑2 zoning while staff and the applicant address the technical and neighborhood concerns raised at the hearing.
