Developer Joel Cowan got the green light for a 169-home subdivision last week by the Tyrone Planning Commission and now faces one last hurdle.

By a 2-1 vote, the commission approved Cowan's Lake Windsong subdivision in the northern part of town with a caveat that Dogwood Trail be paved.

The issue will now be sent to the City Council sometime around the first of the year, said town manager Barry Amos.

Cowan owns 282 acres and requested nearly 200 of the acres rezoned from R-70 and AR, which calls for two- and three-acre lots, to R-48, which allows one-acre lots. The remaining 80 acres are already zoned R-48.

During last week's Planning Commission meeting, Cowan told town officials that he would be willing to donate up to $100,000 to help pay for the paving of Dogwood Trail and provide another access to the subdivision.

Cowan's father, Joel, was one of the original developers of Peachtree City and is the current head of the powerful new Georgia Regional Transportation Authority. The younger Cowan wants to create an upscale subdivision that features homes priced in the mid-$200's to $300,000, built around an existing lake.

The subdivision would feature such amenities as a clubhouse, tennis courts, a pool overlooking the lake and possible high-speed Internet connection.

Many of the residents at previous meetings were outraged that the only paved entrance into the subdivision would be down Ashland Trail, but Cowan met with several neighborhood groups over the last two months to help answer their concerns.

Cowan's attorney, George Rosensweig, told the commission that Cowan had met with the residents of Ashland Trail and offered to sell a couple of lots to the property owners to alleviate their concerns.

Planning commissioners Lyn Redwood and Burt Clark liked Cowan's vision for the subdivision, but said they could only recommend it be approved if Dogwood Trail is paved.

Amos said there is currently no money in the city's budget to pave the road and he estimated the cost of the project between $250,000 and $300,000.

The commissioners recommended approval of the subdivision with the caveat that Dogwood Trail would have to be paved.

The proposed subdivision is virtually two subdivisions, because the lake cuts the property nearly in half. The entrance to the subdivision on the southern side of the lake would be from either Crestwood Road or Dogwood Trail, which are currently unpaved.

The Town Council is expected to discuss the issue after Jan. 1.

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