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Fort Oglethorpe holds public hearing on rezoning of former hospital parcels amid preservation concerns
Summary
The City of Fort Oglethorpe held public hearings on two rezoning ordinances to change former hospital parcels from R-3 to R-5; applicants said rezoning would broaden marketability, while residents warned it could permit high-density townhome development and urged protections for the historic Old Post Hospital.
The Fort Oglethorpe City Council on Monday conducted public hearings on two rezoning ordinances that would change two former hospital parcels from R-3 to R-5 zoning to make the sites more marketable to potential developers.
Christopher M. Harris, attorney for the Catoosa County Public Facilities Authority, told the council the authority is marketing the hospital property and believes an R-5 zoning classification will attract more development interest. "The authority believes that this zoning classification would get the most available suitors, to purchase and develop the property," Harris said.
Residents who spoke at the hearing pressed the council to delay rezoning until an actual development plan is available. "Why are we asking for something that we don't know what it is?" asked April Harvey, who said neighbors nearest the property worry rezoning could enable dense housing. Another resident, Sally Beth Morris, said the neighborhood does not want a cluster of apartments and urged single-family or gated development instead.
Several speakers cited a concern that the R-5 designation could allow hundreds of residential units. One commenter said the parcel "would allow up to 247 doors," a figure cited by speakers during public comment; that number was presented as a community concern and was not independently verified during the hearing.
Planning staff and a consultant explained what R-5 allows. A staff member said R-5 permits uses such as townhomes (7.5 units per acre), nursing or assisted-care facilities, recreational uses and group homes, and clarified that conventional apartments are regulated under a separate "planned mixed use" classification and were not part of the R-5 request before the council.
Paul Mawena, a Barnhart Circle resident, read an excerpt from a letter from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation urging the county and city to consider preservation tools for the Old Post Hospital rather than demolition. Mawena said the community has collected more than 750 signatures asking the city and county to work together to protect the structure and explore rehabilitation options, including preservation easements and targeted marketing to preservation-minded developers.
What happened: the council completed the public hearings and proceeded to the regular meeting agenda. Ordinance 20-26-37 was read for first reading as required by procedure; the hearing record did not include final adoption or a recorded vote on either rezoning ordinance at this meeting.
Why it matters: the rezoning would change the parcel's allowable uses and densities, potentially shaping what kinds of redevelopment are possible on a prominent historic site near Fort Oglethorpe's historic district. Residents and preservation advocates argued the city and county should consider parcel division, deed restrictions or preservation criteria in any sale to protect the Old Post Hospital.
What’s next: the ordinances were presented for first reading; further hearings or decisions would follow the city's standard zoning/ordinance timeline and any county-level dispositions of the property.
