Developers propose gated townhome community on Loganville Highway; neighbors press for security fencing and traffic review

Blue River Development, represented by Alex Mitcham of LJA Engineering, presented a plan to rezone roughly 12.63 acres along Loganville Highway for fee-simple townhomes with associated variances for front vehicular access and grading into the required 25-foot buffer. The developer said the project would include about 4.25 acres of civic green space, alleys for interior units and some front-loaded units on the perimeter to reduce impervious area and pond sizes.

Neighbors, including Harriet Campbell and Sharon Hutto, opposed aspects of the proposal and asked the commission to require a security fence rather than a wooden privacy wall, cited traffic safety concerns on Highway 81 and worried a retention pond and dog park would abut private backyards. "I would rather have a security fence, like a metal fence around the property because it backs up to our backyards," one neighbor told the commission. The developer said it would preserve the 25-foot buffer where possible, replant if grading into it proved necessary, and would meet GDOT requirements for any required turn lanes: "This 25 foot is what's required by the code. We're going to maintain that," the developer said.

After public comment and a developer rebuttal that the pond would be a dry detention basin and trails/amenities would be internal to the development, a commissioner moved to recommend approval with staff conditions and an added requirement for a four-foot black metal security fence along the property perimeter; another commissioner seconded the motion.