A request to deviate from a county ordinance requiring private roads in the Residential Planned Community district was submitted by Dawson Forest Partners GA, LLC. The request was unanimously denied by the Planning Commission on October 20, 2020. That decision was appealed by the applicant and will be heard by the Board of Commissioners during their Voting Session on November 19th. The Voting Session will begin immediately following the 4:00pm Work Session and will be held at the Dawson County Government Center in Assembly Room #2303 - 25 Justice Way, Dawsonville, GA.
The property was rezoned to Residential Planned Community (RPC) in 2019 by the previous owner, Etowah Water and Sewer Authority. The Authority sold the property to Dawson Forest Partners GA, LLC this year. The property is set to be developed by DR Horton.
Our Land Use Resolution states: "All roads within RPC zoning district shall be private roads and shall be maintained by a property owners association formed by the developer; except those roads which serve to connect the development to other public roads." Dawson Forest Partners GA, LLC seeks to avoid the private road requirement therefore laying the groundwork for the county to take over responsibility for their roads. According to the application, they wish to shift the future financial burden from the HOA to the county in order to "create a more marketable neighborhood" (Source: Variance Application).
Prior to voting, members of the Planning Commission referenced the privileges associated with the Residential Planned Community district such as allowing homes to be clustered on a property that would otherwise be difficult to develop. Planning Commission member, Emory Dooley, said "That's one of the benefits the County gets by allowing them to concentrate homes so much - is to not have to pay for the roads...when we looked at it before, that was one of the things I looked at". Following discussion, Dooley made a motion to deny the request with a second by Hornsey. The request was unanimously denied.
To learn more about the Planning Commission's decision, view the video clip below:
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