Commissioners approve Hidden Hills overlay update to encourage walkable mixed‑use development

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved a text amendment to the Greater Hidden Hills Overlay District intended to better align zoning standards with community goals for walkable, mixed‑use redevelopment.

Planning staff told the board the update raises the maximum dwelling units per acre at a neighborhood center node, lowers the mixed‑use commercial requirement to 20% in tiers 1 and 2, adds cottage homes as an allowed housing type, and creates density and floor area ratio bonuses to attract restaurants, grocery stores and medical offices. "This is the zoning map of the Greater Hidden Hills Overlay District...Tier 1 is along Covington Highway and South Harrison Road," staff said while summarizing changes for tiers 1–5.

Community residents who helped draft the original overlay in 2011 — including Phyllis Frierson of the Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation — told commissioners they support the amendments as a way to preserve protections while encouraging the kinds of businesses residents said they want. "We support the proposed mix of 80% residential and density bonuses for including uses that meet community needs such as restaurants and cafes, grocery stores, medical offices," Frierson said during public comment.

Multiple commissioners praised the collaborative process and the addition of cottage homes as a 'missing‑middle' option. The board voted to approve the text amendment and staff said the changes aim to retain neighborhood protections while removing regulatory barriers that have limited redevelopment.