Commission approves rezoning for 30-lot Old Doss subdivision, accepts $100,000 proffer for road improvements

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a rezoning of approximately 40 acres on Old Doss Drive from AG to R-40 to allow a 30-lot single-family subdivision, along with several concurrent variances and conditions recommended by the Planning Commission.

Staff explained the request and the planning commission's recommendations: approval of the R-40 rezoning with a condition limiting the maximum number of lots to 30, allowance of a rural street section and private streets, conditional approval of front-setback relief with offsetting rear-setback or buffer improvements, and denial of a proposed reduction to the side building setback. Because a substandard section of Old Doss Drive will require upgrades, the applicant proffered a $100,000 contribution to Cherokee County to be paid before a land disturbance permit is issued. The board accepted that proffer.

Commissioner West, whose district includes the site, moved to approve the rezoning consistent with Planning Commission conditions, to accept the $100,000 roadway contribution, and to deny the side-setback reduction as recommended; the motion passed unanimously. Staff noted estimated traffic impacts (the subdivision could add about 300 trips per day) and that the county anticipates design and right-of-way work on about 1,700 feet of Old Doss Drive where GDOT improvements stop.

The decision authorizes the zoning change and conditions; the developer must finalize engineering and pay the proffer before construction permits are issued. The board emphasized the roadway improvement condition as a mitigation for traffic and safety impacts on a substandard road.