Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
Reporter
September 28, 2022
Proposed county rules would bar
multi-family housing, set minimums
By Will Davis
publisher™ my mcr.net
County commission
ers say they plan a lot of
changes to a new 361-page
proposal that will govern
construction and develop
ment in the county But one
thing likely to remain is a
ban on multi-family hous
ing in Monroe County.
Monroe Countys zoning
board on Monday, Sept. 26
took a first crack at the new
community development
ordinance in the works
for over a year. The county
hired attorney Brandon
Bowen of Cartersville more
than two years ago for
about $20,000 to produce
the document.
Commissioners are try
ing to impose new zoning
laws for development as the
county undergoes a surge
in residential growth. The
county added the most
homes ever, 344, last year,
many evacuees from places
like overgrown Henry
County. Many say they
don’t want the same to hap
pen here.
Commissioners put a
moratorium on new sub
divisions while they craft
the ordinance. But com
missioner George Emami,
who has led the charge for
new rules, said he has some
problems with the first
draft. For one, the ordi
nance would allow 1/2-acre
lots. Emami said he thinks
the county should keep its
current 1-acre minimum.
The zoning board on
Monday agreed to require
any half-acre lots to have
public water and sewer.
That pretty much negates
1/2-acre lots since the
county doesn’t have a pub
lic sewer system. However
Emami said he will oppose
half-acre lots anyway, and
that it’s a hill he’s willing to
die on.
The ordinance would
also put a minimum size
requirement on homes in
Monroe County for the
first time, 1,500-square-
feet. Yet it would allow mo
bile homes as small as 750
square feet. Emami said it
makes no sense to incentiv-
ize people to roll homes
into Monroe County rather
than build them. He also
said he would rather the
county encourage afford
able housing by allowing
mobile and modular homes
in larger lots than having
dense housing projects.
The proposed ordinance
would also forbid drive
ways off county roads
from being too close to
one another. Emami said
he would rather prevent
too many driveways cut off
county roads than letting
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homeowners deny their
neighbors a right to build a
driveway close to theirs.
Meanwhile, the proposed
ordinance would require
100 foot setbacks for
homes. Emami said that
is way too restrictive and
he has a problem with that
too.
While there are changes
to be made, Emami said
they’re going in the right
direction. He said the new
ordinance will give the
county more commercial
zoning options to help the
county plan for growth.
Emami grew up in Gwin
nett County and said he’s
just trying to prevent what
happened there from hap
pening here.
“The idea is not to be
growth resistant, but to
prevent a growth tsunami
from changing the com
plexion of the community
overnight,” said Emami.
“Gwinnett County looks
like a completely different
community, exponentially,
than it was when I went to
high school.”
Commissioners will hold
a public hearing and are
expected to debate the
proposed zoning ordinance
more at their next meeting
at 6 p.m. on Oct. 4. The
public may chime in at that
time. A final vote is not
expected at that meeting.
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CORRECTION
An ad in last week’s Reporter promoting
the Herschel Walker Bus Tour stopping
at The Meadows in Smarr on Wednes
day, Sept. 28 was funded by the Monroe
County Republican Party.
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