The rezoning request was approved by the board of commissioners on January 22, 2019. The commissioners added several conditions, to include minimum home sizes of 2,400 square feet, sidewalks and street trees throughout the development, and that fifty acres north of the development must be deeded to the county as permanent open space.
North Ola Henry 163, LLC of Stockbridge, GA has proposed a new subdivision in the Ola area. The applicant has requested a rezoning from RA (Residential Agricultural) to R-2 (Single-Family Residence) on sewer for 114.93 +/-acres. The request is located within commission district 3.
The subject property is located along North Ola Road south of The Farm Road. The property is on the east side of N Ola Road and the rear property line abuts the two-hundred twenty undeveloped acres zoned R-3 off Snapping Shoals Road.
The requested rezoning is supported by the future land use map. The property is designated for low density residential development which allows between one and two dwelling units per acre.
The R-2 on sewer zoning district was added by Henry County in 2017. The district requires 22,000 minimum square feet lots, rounded off larger than a half-acre. The zoning district is preferred over R-3 within low-density residential areas because half-acre lots ensure the gross density will not exceed two units per acre.
The concept site plan depicts 134 residential lots. The request has a net density of 2.0 units per acre maxing out the FLUM allowance.
The site plan has two entrances along North Ola Road. An access easement is proposed through the land owners’ northern portion of the property in order to provide a second entrance and comply with the county’s unified land development code. The ULDC requires a second entrance on all developments greater than fifty lots.
A traffic study will be required to evaluate the subdivision’s impacts and all recommended improvements will be installed by the developer. It is expected that left-hand turn lanes will be required at the subdivision’s entrances along North Ola Road.
Existing traffic congestion cannot be used as a reason to deny rezoning. Henry County is in the process of developing the SPLOST V project list, which is the primary mechanism of funding utilized to advance local transportation improvements.
The request is estimated to generate an additional 222 students at Ola Elementary, Ola Middle, and Ola High collectively. This will result in the need for nine additional classrooms.
School capacity cannot be used as a reason to deny rezoning. The next opportunity to expand existing schools or construct new facilities will be through the education SPLOST VI project list, to be developed in 2021.
Staff has recommended approval of the request. The staff report may be viewed on the county website. The report evaluates the request against the comprehensive plan and includes a higher resolution version of the site plan.
A public hearing on the request will occur at the zoning advisory board meeting on November 8 at 6:30 pm. The meeting is held at the Henry County Administration Building located at 140 Henry Parkway in McDonough. A second public hearing will follow before the Henry County Board of Commissioners at a later date, at which time a decision will be rendered on the applicant’s request.
This article is part of a series focused on the November 8 zoning advisory board meeting.
- November ZAB meeting has five residential rezoning’s
- New subdivision proposed along North Ola Road
- New subdivision proposed on Crumbley Road
- Bill Gardner Parkway at Lester Mill Road site of proposed mixed use project
- Flippen Road proposal includes townhomes and single family residential
- Apartments proposed on Mt Carmel Road
Moving Henry Forward is a local blog dedicated to informing residents about transportation projects and land use planning within Henry County. Follow our Facebook page to stay informed with our latest content.
Projects like this are seeds of decay for this area. I watched this happen in Clayton county
Over 20 years ago and now you can see the results.
The project being proposed has to many units and should be reduced substantially.
This project will be very detrimental to our community.
I have lived in the Ola area for 23 years and I have seen multiple changes. I love the Ola community but the growth has got to slow down. I realize the traffic nor the overcrowded schools will cause this zoning to be denied. I would much rather see this property used as a senior 55+ neighborhood offering those of us that fall into that category a gated community to live in for the rest of our lives in our little community. This would give us an opportunity to sell the larger homes we no longer need in place of building more home for people with children . Most of us that fall into this category are retired, responsible taxpayers. 75 nice homes be such a plus for this area. Please reconsider what you build and how it would benefit our community thank you.
Thank you for your feedback. Moving Henry Forward lets residents know about proposed rezoning’s so that they may participate in the public hearings. I encourage residents to attend the zoning advisory board meeting and contact Commissioner Barham about the proposed request.