NEWTON COUNTY – Commissioners opted to deny two rezoning requests at the July 16 Newton County Board of Commissioners meeting.

The first request in front of the board was a rezoning of the property owned by Sockwell Corners LLC. The applicants Ed Hutter and Randy Vinson sought to rezone the property from agricultural-residential (AR) to a community oriented residential development (C.O.R.D.) on Highway 278 and Highway 142.

The C.O.R.D. would call for a mixed-use development with 610 residential units, split up into 294 single-family detached homes, 146 townhome units and 180 condominiums. Three “small” green spaces with a “large” recreational area that includes a clubhouse, pool, tennis courts and a soccer field were also listed as amenities in the development.

However, a number of the development requirements proposed by the developers did not match Newton County’s standards.

When looking at property setbacks, the developers requested five feet setbacks on side yards, all below the minimum setback standards. A number of other density requirements for the types of homes in the proposed development also did not meet the county’s standards.

Furthermore, the city of Covington was listed as responsible for sewage treatment. But ,in the city’s statement, they said that the city “does not currently have sewer infrastructure abutting the subject property.”

In December 2023 the board voted to deny the future land use amendment (FLUM) in a 3-2 vote while the planning commission voted 5-0 to recommend the denial of the rezoning request on July 1.

Representing the developers was Atlanta-based attorney Kyle Wise who cited that the comprehensive plan updates call for projects such as this to happen in Newton County.

“My clients have presented a proposed project that we believe that precisely meets the land use objectives and official policies of that [comprehensive] plan,” Wise said.

But citizens were not sold on that idea.

Dave Norton, one of the founders of the Facebook group “Save East Newton” said that he and others do not want to see another development in Newton County.

“We welcome new neighbors with open arms,” Norton said. “But these projects do not match the existing subdivisions like Deerfield, Newton Ridge, Elks Club and others.”

Realtor Rhiannon Townley also opposed the potential new development, referencing conversations she has had with her clients.

“I deal with a lot of clients coming to Newton County, a lot of business people coming to Newton County and they are not asking me to live on top of their neighbor. Absolutely not,” Townley said. “They are asking me for custom homes, detached homes. Not townhomes. Not condos.”

District 1 commissioner Stan Edwards said it was “amazing to him” that no conversations were brought up about sewer or infrastructure needs.

“While the capacity for this development – and another development – exists today, the infrastructure is probably years away from reaching this particular development,” Edwards said.

District 5 commissioner Ronnie Cowan made the motion to deny the rezoning, with Edwards seconding the unanimous 5-0 denial.

The commission also denied another development on Highway 278 from Morgan Farms. 

Developers wished to rezone the multiple parcels from AR and highway commercial (CH) to a C.O.R.D.-PRC – also known as a planned residential commercial development.

The development called for 203 single-family homes, 163 townhomes and 54,950 square feet of commercial space.

A majority of the requirements were met from this development from Newton County standards, with the exception of the residential density. The developers requested a minimum average of 3.18 units per acre with a minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet. Currently, that is required to be one unit per acre.

Developers also listed the city of Covington as their main source of utilities. But much like the previous development, the city said that the city “does not currently have sewer infrastructure abutting the subject property.”

Earlier this month, the planning commission also recommended a denial of the rezoning request in a 5-0 vote. However, the BOC voted to approve the FLUM amendment from AR to a development node (DN) in a 3-2 vote at the Nov. 2, 2023, meeting. 

Representative of Inline Communities LLC. and attorney Phil Johnson reminded the board of the FLUM approval as well as the comprehensive plan allowance for this development.

But citizens once again were defiant in any new developments passing through.

“You have to have a balance in housing,” said Social Circle resident Kim Shue. “We have 4,000 apartments and townhomes coming out of the ground right now in this area. We don’t have single-family detached homes coming in this area… What you need here is to build the community that can balance both sides of that coin.”

Carolyn Woodward kept it brief when describing why the board should deny this development.

“The same reasons that we denied the other one, we need to deny this one,” Woodward said.

Cowan elected to make the motion to deny the rezoning, which was seconded by Edwards. The vote to deny the rezoning request passed 4-0. District 4 commissioner J.C. Henderson recused himself from voting to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

When faced with the decision to make the motion to approve or deny, Cowan said it was in his best interest to listen to the people in District 5.

“It’s very difficult to be a commissioner sometimes when you’re presented with something like this. I see both sides very much,” Cowan said. “But I am elected by the majority of the people in District 5 and I have to do what they expect of their representative.”

Commissioners will continue to be busy going into the rest of this month. Three public hearings will be held regarding the 2024 millage rate, with hearings on July 23 at 11 a.m., July 23 at 6:30 p.m. and July 30 at 6 p.m.

A special called meeting will be held on July 30 at 6:30 p.m. where a final millage rate will be voted on.