Proposals to construct 265 high-end apartments and a senior village community on Hollz Parkway at Ga. Highway 34 were denied on 4-1 votes Tuesday night by the Coweta County Commission.
Presented as separate agenda items, Hollz Village Apartments on 24 acres was proposed for the west side of Hollz Parkway while the senior village on 30 acres was proposed for the east side of the parkway.
The rezoning request by EP Properties asked that the 24-acre parcel be rezoned from Industrial (M) to Multi-family Residential (R-2). Located on the west side of Hollz Parkway and adjacent to the park and ride lot, the plan called for 265 high-end apartments ranging from 1-3 bedrooms with amenities that would include volleyball, tennis and basketball courts, a clubhouse, pool and dog excercise areas, according to project representative Dennis Drewyer.
Drewyer said he believed the placement of the apartments at the location was appropriate given the glut of available industrial in the area and because multi-family residential would provide an appropriate transition to the Chatsworth subdivision to the east.
Drewyer said the developer was in agreement with the conditions set forth by county planning staff who had recommended the project for approval.
Questions about sewer arose during the discussion. While the county does not permit residential sewer use, Drewyer and owner Tom Baranco said sewer rights for the property were purchased prior to the time of the sewer ordinance, adding that the sewer capacity needed for the project would be within the limits of that capacity.
Commissioner Rodney Brooks disagreed, questioning if the approved capacity would be sufficient for the number of units being proposed.
“Based on 500 gallons per day, that would only handle 60 units instead of 245,” Brooks said.
The vote to deny the rezoning request was 4-1, with Commissioner Al Smith opposed.
The project had received approval as a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) by the Three Rivers Regional Commission.
Commissioners later in the meeting heard a request by JHP Family Investments that would have located a senior residential village on the east side of Hollz Parkway. The rezoning request for the 30-acre parcel would have changed the property from Rural Conservation (RC) to R-2.
Drewyer said the proposed senior village development would include single-family homes adjacent to the Chatsworth subdivision property to the east and along the south side of the property. The development was also proposed to include attached villas on the north and east sides of the property and a 48,000 square-foot assisted living and hospice facility in the center of the property.
Drewyer also noted that sewer rights for the property had been purchased in 1999.
Like the apartment proposal to the west, Drewyer said the senior village would include high-end housing and elements such as hardwood floors and granite countertops and would feature connectivity to nearby shopping and healthcare venues.
Drewyer said the proposal was part of the DRI approval by Three Rivers. County planning staff also recommended approval of the rezoning. A representative of the Chatsworth subdivision homeowners association said the neighborhood supported the project.
Once in the hands of commissioners, Chairman Bob Blackburn made a motion to deny the rezoning request. The second was followed by a 4-1 vote to deny the request. Commissioner Tim Lassetter opposed the motion.
