No action on I-75 exit 221 apartments

Google StreetView of I-75 North at exit 221 / Jonesboro Road (Google photo)

The board of commissioners held their monthly meeting on April 20. During the meeting, they considered two rezoning requests in the vicinity of I-75 and Jonesboro Road / exit 221. Both applicants propose apartments within mixed use developments.

The projects follow other apartment complexes in the area. Most recently, Canyon Springs built on Towne Centre Village Drive. The first phase of the development consists of 223 units, but has approval for another 316 units. The BOC approved the second phase in November 2019.

Mill Road

Lennar Multifamily Communities of Atlanta, GA requested a rezoning from RA (residential agricultural) to MU (mixed use). The property consists of 42.4 +/- acres south of Peachtree Peddler’s Flea Market.

The applicant proposed to construct 324 apartments on 32.53 +/- acres. In addition, the applicant is preserving 9.87 acres of road frontage for future commercial development. The apartments would be visible from I-75.

The property was previously considered for the Henry County Aquatic Center in January. The applicant submitted the rezoning request later that same month.

The BOC split 3-3 when voting to approve the request. Commissioners Clemmons, Thomas and Holmes voted to approve the rezoning; whereas, Chair Harrell, Commissioners Wilson and Cannon voted against the request. Since the board took no official action, the item can be reconsidered at a future meeting.

Jonesboro Road

In another rezoning request, South City Partners, LLC of Atlanta, GA is requesting a rezoning from RA and R-2 (single-family residential) to MU (mixed use). The property consists of 31.1 +/- acres west of McDonough Christian Church.

The applicant is proposing a mixture of residential and commercial uses. On the north end of the property, the applicant proposes 268 apartment units on 20.9 acres. The project also includes 10.2 acres of retail / office space along Jonesboro Road.

In 2019, the land owner first applied for rezoning of 43.1 +/- acres. The larger tract includes twelve acres north of the church off Mt Olive Road. They removed the twelve acres to avoid triggering a development of regional impact (DRI) review, but board feedback focused on the additional acreage. Commissioner Clemmons requested the apartments move closer to Mt Olive Road. She also requested the applicant add townhomes between the apartments and commercial space.

Because the twelve acres were not advertised as part of the request, the board tabled the agenda item. This also allows time for the applicant to prepare a new site plan. If the new site plan shows uses greater than the DRI threshold, then the plan would require ARC and GRTA review before the board can take action. The threshold is 500,000 square feet of gross building space for mixed use development.

Jonesboro Road widening

Traffic congestion is not a reason to deny a rezoning request in Georgia; however, the board is considering improvements to Jonesboro Road during T-SPLOST discussions. Earlier this month, county staff presented a draft project list for the program.

The project list includes $35 million dollars to widen Jonesboro Road between Mill Road and North Mt Carmel Road. Further revisions to the project list may alter or remove the project from consideration.

Featured image shows I-75 North at Jonesboro Road / exit 221. Photo credit Google StreetView.

About Clayton 1745 Articles
Clayton Carte is the founder and owner of The Henry Reporter. He founded the site in 2017 to highlight transportation projects. Over time, he began covering other topics like new development so residents can best know what’s happening in our community.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply