Board Approved a Cluster Home Subdivision on Jonesboro Road

Henry County approved a new cluster home subdivision off Jonesboro Road and Dutchtown Road. The board approved the rezoning request at their September 17, 2024 meeting. The project plans to construct 150 homes on 57 acres.

Dutchtown Road Subdivision

Templar Development Group, LLC of Fayetteville, GA applied to rezone 57 acres. The request would change the property’s zoning from R-2 to R-5. They submitted the request in January 2024.

The property is located at 3435 Jonesboro Road. This is immediately west of Dutchtown Road. Also in the area are the Dutchtown schools. Finally, the nearby Flippen Road extension has started construction. It will extend Flippen Road to connect with Dutchtown Middle and Jonesboro Road.

The future subdivision is entitled Adagio, pronounced a-da-gio. It plans to construct 150 cluster homes.

What are Cluster Homes?

Henry County approved new multi-family standards in June 2023. They included new standards to allow cluster homes. Here is our description of the new code section from then:

Henry County now has a new code section for ’horizontal multifamily’ or ’cluster homes.’ Some attributes of cluster homes are as follows:

+ minimum lot size of 4,750 square feet, or lots measuring 45’ wide by about 105’ deep,
+ setback requirements: front and rear setbacks 20 feet each, side yard setback 5 feet or building separation of 10 feet, and
+ minimum home size 1,200 sq ft.

Builders can construct cluster homes in the R-5, RS (residential suburban), RM (multifamily), RMH (mobile home) or MU (mixed use) zoning districts, subject to zoning conditions on a property.

MHF News, June 21, 2023.

The Adagio subdivision will be one of the first subdivisions to build under the new code section.

Adagio Site Layout & Amenities

Moore Bass Consulting of McDonough provided site engineering for the property. The project’s site plan depicts two entrances off Dutchtown Road. There is an entrance off Jonesboro Road; however, the zoning conditions permit removing this entrance. This is up to Henry County DOT if they believe its removal would be beneficial to traffic flow on Jonesboro Road. If this entrance goes away, then all traffic would enter or exit via Dutchtown Road.

Right now, the property has an existing landscape buffer next to Traditions at Crystal Lake subdivision. The developer intends to maintain this buffer. An existing lake is also being incorporated into the subdivision layout. About 23 acres, or 40%, of the site will be green space.

Moore Bass Consulting presentation.

In addition, the subdivision will have the following amenities:

• paved walking trail around the lake with bicycle racks and street furniture throughout the trail,
• minimum 1,000 square foot pavilion with electric / natural gas fire pits and grilling area, and
• facilities for various sports and recreational activities.

Next, the developer must install a brick and wrought iron fence along Jonesboro Road and Dutchtown Road. The fence shall be similar in style to the adjacent subdivisions. Lastly, the subdivision shall have gated entrances.

Adagio Homes

Steve Moore from Moore Bass Consulting indicated the home sizes would start at 1,800 square feet for one-story homes and 2,200 sq ft for two-story homes. He also shared concept renderings for the proposed homes. They will have an average lot size of 10,890 square feet (one quarter-acre).

Moore Bass Consulting presentation.

According to Moore, the developer’s architect looked outside of metro Atlanta for inspiration. The proposed homes are based on designs found in Nashville, TN. This summer, county commissioners have spoken during board meetings about wanting to see more variety in home design.

The estimated price point for these homes will start in the low $500 thousands.

Transportation Projects

The developer has agreed to contribute $150,000 to the cost of improving Dutchtown Road. The roadway is a SPLOST V project. As of August 2024, right of way acquisition was in progress.

In addition, the developer must preserve additional right of way on Jonesboro Road. This is for a future widening project. Henry County’s SPLOST VI project list has Jonesboro Road widening, phase II, from North Mt. Carmel Road to the Clayton County line. It would pay for the road’s design / preliminary engineering. Voters will consider SPLOST VI this November.

Jonesboro Road widening, phase I, extends between I-75 and North Mt. Carmel Road. That project is part of the county’s transportation SPLOST program. Right of way acquisition is in progress.

Board Comments

District 5 Commissioner Kevin Lewis shared his comments about the project. The property is located in his district. Lewis shared the following:

We have gone back and forth with the developer for probably over a year now. I did want to address some of the things that residents stated.

I know [the board of education] has completed the addition for Dutchtown High School. They are going to do an addition for Dutchtown Middle School as well. I did check with the school board to see what their plans are going forward. They are going to address the number of students at the middle school and the elementary school. Those plans are in the works.

For the comparability, discussions we had [looked at] the density compared to the neighboring subdivisions more so than the actual building materials. I know that is a sticking point around that area. I live not too far from there myself. I know some of the homeowners around there prefer brick. We have some other homeowners who do not. It gets into what does an individual likes as far as how their home should look.

One thing I did like about this particular development is the builder actually tried something new. We have been going back and forth with a lot of developers who are trying to build in Henry County. We are saying ‘we do not want the cookie cutter anymore.’ We are tired of the cookie cutter subdivision where every house looks alike. We have a zoning condition prohibiting homes of the same plan within six homes of each other. We also asked the developer to bring us something that looks different. They have done that.

I do understand that people’s tastes are different. What I [considered] ‘does this match the density of the neighborhoods beside it?’ I see the density at Traditions. It is literally going to be the same neighborhood just flip flopped. It’s the same type of design. Crystal Lake Village is actually more dense than this proposed development.

I do take into consideration the neighbors’ concerns. I am here to listen to everybody’s side. I know generally everyone can’t get their way.

One other thing I did like about this project is the contribution to Dutchtown Road. That has something I have been working on for a long time to make sure that Dutchtown Road gets built. This subdivision will actually contribute to the completion of Dutchtown Road. A Lennar subdivision behind Crystal Lake subdivision is contributing as well.

With all that being said, I think the developer did a pretty good job with what they have presented to us. I do move to approve.

Commissioner Kevin Lewis, Board of Commissioners Meeting, September 17, 2024.

Commissioner Lewis added the condition to require a gated community. He also expressed his preference for the subdivision’s entrances to be on Dutchtown Road only. That decision will be left to Henry County DOT staff.

Commissioner Lewis moved to approve the rezoning request. The board approved it by a 4-1 vote. Commissioner Wilson voted in opposition; Commissioner Anglyn was absent from the September 17 meeting.

Featured image shows Jonesboro Road at Dutchtown Road. Google photo.