Taking a closer look at McDonough’s townhome district

McDonough has a zoning district dedicated to townhomes. This article will take a closer look at the zoning code and what’s required within the district.

The full text of the McDonough zoning code may be found here. The Residential Townhome District (RTD) is chapter 17.44.

Requirements

The district has a maximum density at eight dwelling units per acre. For comparison purposes, medium density residential in unincorporated Henry County maxes out at six dwelling units per acre while high density residential goes to sixteen dwelling units per acre.

There is not a minimum lot size requirement, but there are some dimension requirements. The townhomes must be at least twenty feet wide, with a twenty foot front and rear setback. A maximum of eight dwelling units may be in one contiguous building and a minimum of twenty feet is required between buildings, provided that a two hour fire wall is constructed on both buildings from brick or mortar.

All units are required to have a two-car garage. The minimum square footage for individual units is as follows: 1,200 sq ft for one-bedroom, 1,300 sq ft for two-bedroom, and 1,400 sq ft for a three-bedroom unit. The maximum building height allowed is thirty-five feet.

Existing RTD Locations

McDonough offers an online map that includes zoning. The map is a great tool to learn about the city.

Looking over the map, I found ten locations zoned RTD. Not all of these developments have built out.

• McDonough Village LLC owns 9.12 undeveloped acres along SR 20/81 east of Sable Chase Apartments.
• L & C Partnership owns 11.34 undeveloped acres accessible via Head Lane off Phillips Drive.
• Approximately 65 townhomes are located along Chase Lane accessible via Foxchase Drive off Huntington Drive and US 23 / SR 42.
• Approximately 60 townhomes are located along White Mountain Pass accessible via Turner Church Road off SR 155.
• Approximately 144 townhomes are located along City Park Drive accessible via Racetrack Road.
• Approximately 100 townhomes are located along Therron Drive and McConaughy Court accessible via Henry Parkway. Most of the one-hundred townhomes are undeveloped.
• Green Valley Village is located along Labonte Pkwy and Hendrick Drive accessible via SR 155 and Industrial Blvd. Some of the units are under construction.
• Approximately 45 townhomes are located along Madeline Court off Bridges Road
• Approximately 144 townhomes are located along Magnolia Garden Walk off Kelly Road. Some of the units are under construction.

This article was written to serve as baseline knowledge about McDonough’s RTD zoning district. There are two requested rezoning’s within the city for RTD, or a combination including RTD.

Hampton Street Townhomes has proposed 71 units for 8.92 acres along SR 20/81. The developer has requested several variances and the request will appear before the McDonough Planning Commission during a special called meeting on October 30 at 6pm. The public hearing before the city council is anticipated in November.

The Village at McDonough Parkway is proposing approximately 480 housing units on 62.24 acres. The applicant is requesting annexation into the city with a concurrent rezoning to RM-75 (multifamily housing) and RTD (residential townhomes). The request is scheduled to have a public hearing before the city council on November 19 at 6pm.