BOC approves Mt Bethel Road subdivision

The Henry County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a rezoning request this week for 30.9 +/- acres located at 469 Mt Bethel Road. The applicant, Robert Boan of McDonough, GA, received approval to build twenty-nine lots under the R-2 zoning district.

The R-2 zoning district requires minimum lot sizes of 30,000 square feet; however, the planned development includes lots as large as two acres. Home sizes will start at 2,400 square feet with a required two-car garage.

The most engaging discussion among the commissioners was not about the project itself, but rather the unavailability of sewer service in the area requiring septic tanks to be utilized. Commissioners Dee Clemmons and Vivian Thomas remarked a preference to see sewage service extended throughout the county to minimize new septic tanks and board members shared a joint board meeting with the Henry County Water Authority is on the horizon.

The applicant’s representative, a team member from local engineering firm Falcon Design, spoke in favor of the request, citing the development follows all development codes within Henry County with no requested variances and is supported by the county’s comprehensive land use plan. There were no other speakers during the public hearing.

The BOC approved the rezoning with nine conditions:

All houses shall be built on site (no modular or manufactured homes).

Each home shall have a minimum two-car garage. Garages shall be side-entry where feasible, with the exception of up to 10% of lots where for topographical reasons, side-entry garages are not feasible.

All disturbed areas shall be sodded, except where landscaping is present or installed.

All lots shall have a minimum of 30,000 square feet of usable soil, each lot to accommodate the needed lot size for proper septic system installation under advisement of the Environmental Health Department.

The entrances shall be located such that the minimum intersection distance and the minimum spacing requirement are met per the road’s posted speed limit, and shall have a deceleration lane and acceleration taper designed and constructed to HCDOT standards.

All homes shall be a minimum of 2,400 square feet of heated space.

The net density shall not exceed 1.0 dwelling units per acre.

The development shall not exceed 29 lots.

Homes shall be constructed in a craftsman style.

Other Ola rezoning requests postponed

Two other rezoning requests within the Ola area were postponed by the applicant and will be rescheduled for a future BOC meeting. The requests include a residential subdivision proposed on North Ola Road and self-storage business proposed on Jackson Lake Road.