If developers’ plans pan out over the coming years, Macon-Bibb County could have 570 new places for people to live and a new Dutch Bros. coffee shop under applications heard Monday by the Planning & Zoning Commission.
For most of the agenda items, P&Z was taking a second or third look at properties they had seen before with projects that either were not built or needed revisions.
P&Z deferred action on Bolt Engineering’s request to rezone about 35 acres at 855, 875 Lamar Road from agricultural to single-family residential for Hughston Homes to build 82 houses to be priced between $350,000 and $500,000.
In March of 2024, another developer requested similar rezoning to allow for 120 higher-density, single-family homes. He revised the plan down to 113 lots, but P&Z still denied the application.
With two commissioners absent Monday, Robby Redmond suggested they give the developer an opportunity to address neighbors’ concerns, which echoed last year’s objections about density, increased traffic, inadequate water and sewer lines, stormwater runoff, elimination of greenspace, and overcrowding of schools that are projected to be above capacity.
Carl Fambro, whose family has lived nearby for five generations, was one of the neighbors who returned to P&Z to oppose the new rezoning proposal.
“You gotta decide how many students are too many going into the school, how many trees are too many to be cut down, and how much traffic is too much traffic before we take more land to accommodate increased traffic?” Fambro asked.
P&Z Chair Jeane Easom, who advocates for more affordable housing, thought the 2024 proposal was too dense, but was open to further discussion on Bolt’s application at the Nov. 10 meeting.
“You all know I’m all about higher density because we are running out of land,” Easom said. “This type of development is important to the growth of our community, to provide housing for people who need it.”
Houston Road apartments, Walden Road homes
IronStone Consulting & Designs’ proposed 192-unit apartment complex at 5435, 5465 Houston Road got a second look this week. P&Z heard neighbors’ concerns about the development on Sept. 22, and deferred a decision until the Oct. 27 meeting.
Monday, P&Z agreed to rezone more than 37 acres to multi-family residential from agricultural and wholesale and light industrial.
To accommodate P&Z’s suggestions from September, developers shifted the pool, clubhouse and mailboxes away from existing homes on Tinker Drive, added a 10-foot landscape buffer around the property, included sidewalks and a bus stop location, increased parking spaces and showed their intention to widen and pave the narrow Tinker Drive up to the entrance to the complex.
Neighbors renewed concerns about housing density and increased crime, water runoff and lack of space for school buses to turn around.
Engineer Amy Huffine pledged to make sure the property would have adequate retention ponds and drainage.
“I really love this stuff. I really love cleaning the water and making sure that our streams are clean and that we’re not flooding. It’s like my whole job,” Huffine told commissioners. “I’m a very environmentally passionate person.”
Huffine explained that all of the plans will be reviewed by the Macon Water Authority, Macon-Bibb County engineers and other agencies with development oversight.
P&Z Assistant Executive Director Randi Doveton reiterated that the project won’t get a building permit without further scrutiny.
Easom made sure everyone understood that commissioners were only considering rezoning in this application.
“I do want to remind everyone that these developments have not been approved or permitted by the utility people, the school board. All of those still have to sign off on this, so those issues will be addressed. That’s just not an issue for us,” Easom said.
Two years ago, 330 people unsuccessfully opposed rezoning about 100 acres of farmland in the 3000 block of Walden Road. The initial plan was for 164 new homes, but no one spoke against an expanded proposal for 290 residential lots at Monday’s hearing.
P&Z staff received only one letter in opposition, and the board approved the new application.
Since 2023’s rezoning from agricultural to R-1AAA, G. Jones Land Holdings acquired nearly five more acres and redesigned plans for higher density housing in the new Jones Landing subdivision.
P&Z’s approval rezones 3400, 3620 and 3642 Walden Road to R-1A allow smaller lot sizes.
Rowland Engineering’s design went from a minimum of 20,000-square-foot lots that would be 100 feet wide, down to 10,000 square feet and 70 feet wide. The 21 lots fronting Walden Road would be 100-feet wide, with smaller lot frontage on the interior of the neighborhood.
Beall’s Hill designs, coffee shop
P&Z also accepted the Design Review Board’s recommendation for six new homes in Beall’s Hill to use synthetic, but longer-lasting materials not currently in the guidelines for the historic neighborhood.
On Oct. 13, P&Z sent Presidential Cottage Homes designs back to the review board. The advisory board had not considered the application because its Oct. 6 meeting was canceled for lack of quorum. In remanding it back to the review board, Easom said P&Z did not feel comfortable deviating so far from historic district regulations without hearing from those charged with enforcing guidelines for properties at 1222 Calhoun St., 895 Elm St., and 1369 Jackson St..
At the Oct. 20 Design Review Board meeting, builders agreed to follow the board’s instructions for spacing of siding, foundation color, roof slope, ceiling height, windows and trim, and a walkway from the carport.
P&Z has commissioned new guidelines for historic districts that have yet to be finalized, but due to the durability of newer materials, they made exceptions for the six in-fill houses for Beall’s Hill. Specifically, they allowed Marvin fiberglass doors and windows, fiberglass columns, and Timber Tech composite decking and rails.
They also approved horizontal windows over the bathtubs to allow light without losing privacy.
The three homes going up at 1222 Calhoun St. also must have slight variations of design for the required diversity of style in Beall’s Hill.
Multiple people raised concerns about potential drainage problems and flooding issues with the three houses on that Calhoun Street lot and removal of a large Sycamore tree. Presidential Cottage Homes owner Wayne Johnson explained that they will meet with the Macon Water Authority before securing the building permit for that lot.
“If it’s not suitable, then we’re going to find another lot,” Johnson said.
P&Z also approved a conditional use permit for a new Dutch Bros. coffee shop and drive-through at 5781 Zebulon Road. Before a permit is issued, staff will review planned materials to make sure they compliment existing architecture in the outparcels of the Lofts at Zebulon.
Dutch Bros. has more than 1,000 locations in 19 states across the country.
At 2437 Vineville Ave., commissioners also approved attorney Michael Moore’s certificate of appropriateness for new awnings to prevent water intrusion on the back patio, rear door and side windows facing Calloway Drive.
P&Z also granted a variance for a storage building at 7746 Lower Thomaston Road where the configuration of the lot prevented the placement behind the house.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
