Henry County will be proceeding forward with a Jonesboro Road corridor study after board members approved the plan of action on Tuesday morning. The next step will be for the county to request proposals for the project.
The Jonesboro Road corridor study will consider land use planning, development regulations and landscaping requirements for the roadway. The area has seen over 5,000 new housing units either proposed or built in recent years.
Jonesboro Road Corridor Study
County Commissioner Vivian Thomas asked county staff to consider the proposed corridor study. Following redistricting in 2022, the Jonesboro Road area east of I-75 moved to her district. Since then, she described being inundated with developers looking to build. For context, Commissioner Lewis represents Jonesboro Road west of I-75. Much of the area on his side is already built up.
The western extent of the McDonough city limits is at Kelly Road. The initial proposal would have looked at Jonesboro Road between there and I-75. Chair Harrell remarked the county should look at all of Jonesboro Road if they are going to study it. Following discussion, the board extended the study limits to Jonesboro Road between Kelly Road and the Clayton County line.
The board voted 3-2 to move forward with the study. Commissioners Anglyn and Wilson voted in opposition. Both commissioners expressed interest in a community improvement district for the area. A CID would allow private business owners to pay for new landscaping and road improvements.
Now, county staff must finalize the scope of work for the Jonesboro Road corridor study. Then, the county will request proposals from private consultants. Staff will review the proposals and recommend a contract award. The study cost is unknown at this time. If it is less than $50 thousand, then the county manager can approve it. Amounts greater than $50k require board approval.
New Development on Jonesboro Road
MHF News has closely followed and reported on proposed developments along Jonesboro Road. We have shared two different maps showing the upcoming developments: first in November 2021 and again in August 2022. Altogether, when considering projects within the Jonesboro Road area, proposals total over 5,000 new housing units since 2019. This includes projects on Foster Drive, Mt. Carmel Road and Willow Lane. Headlining the projects are ten new apartment complexes. There are five projects each are on either side of I-75.
Featured image shows Jonesboro Road at Mill Road. Clayton Carte photo.
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