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City nixes more homes

By BEN NELMS
bnelms@TheCitizenNews.com

Fairburn council members voted unanimously to deny a rezoning request that would have established 40 residential lots on a 17.4-acre parcel near the intersection of Ga. Highway 92 and Ga. Highway 138. The move came at the council’s March 28 meeting.

Currently zoned R-1 Residential, developer T. K. Moreland representative Ken Lander proposed that zoning be converted to R-3 Residential with a Green Communities Overlay designation. He said the proposed zoning designation would not adversely affect the use or usability of adjacent or nearby properties, adding that one R-2 and two R-3 subdivisions are currently established in the area.

Making his case to the council, Lander said his client was proposing to establish 40 lots rather than the 49 lots that would otherwise be permissible under that zoning designation. That move, he said, would result in a lower density for the proposed development, making it closer to R-2 than to R-3.

“We’re the fourth developer to have this property under some kind of contract,” Lander said. “The zoning as it is now is not conducive to the property. The balance we’re trying to strike here would comply with the city’s intent and that of my client.”

Greenspace proposed by Lander would comprise 8.57-acres of the 17.4-acre parcel, leaving approximately nine acres for construction of 40 homes, according to the developer’s concept plan.

Council members had several questions for Lander, relating to the size and price range of houses intended under the request. Lander told the council that the minimum dwelling size, listed as 1,200 square feet on the concept plan, was incorrectly listed. Lander said his client does not build houses that size, adding that the smallest two-story house they build is 2,100 square feet. Floorplans for eight on the 11 homes submitted with the proposal included two-story homes. Responding to the question of pricing, Lander said homes would have a median price of $189,000.

After discussion, the council voted unanimously to deny the proposed rezoning.

The Fairburn Planning Commission recommended denial of the request at its March 1 meeting.