Things just have not tuned out like Cliftwood Development, Inc. planned. An effort by the developer to have 18.63 acres at Ga. Highway 138 and Jonesboro Road in Union city rezoned for the construction of 60 attached homes began with a denial by the city’s planning commission in June and ended Dec. 18 by withdrawing the proposal from the city council agenda until a later date.

Back on June 25, Cliftwood Development representative John Blankenship requested the property be rezoned from General Commercial to Residential Multi-family (RM) to accommodate a 60 attached-home Planned Unit Development (PUD) he wanted to build. Responding to statements from commissioners and city planning staff, Blankenship said the homes were attached by “dog houses,” a term referencing the small shed structure between homes separated by approximately 10 feet.

Neighbors Linda Johnson, Ruby Vinson, Reggie Williams and others voiced their opposition to the proposal and followed the process in succeeding months, never relinquishing their stand to have to proposal denied. Essentially intact, the proposal made its way to the planning commission again in October and, again, was denied. Cliftwood withdrew the rezoning request prior to the city council’s November meeting, only to have to placed on the agenda Dec. 18.

At the Dec. 18 meeting, Union City Community Development Director Ann Lippman informed the council that Cliftwood had withdrawn the rezoning and development request, adding that the company indicated it would resubmit the measure at a later date, likely in January. In her notes to the council, Lippman said the proposed minimum lot size and width may not be large enough to accommodate the required minimum square footage per home and that development plans showed no recreation amenities.

The council voted unanimously to accept the request to withdraw the proposal.

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