Three key development items on the Stockbridge City Council’s January 9 meeting agenda involving a single project were all approved.

The site in question is a 42-acre piece of property with frontage on Hwy. 42 North, 22 acres of which were within the city and the other 20 in unincorporated Henry County. The latter portion was approved for annexation as the first step to clear the way for a proposed age-restricted residential development.

The unincorporated portion, located across from Summit View Drive, was zoned for mixed use in the county. City staff recommended approval with 24 conditions, and the request was also recommended for approval by the Stockbridge Planning Commission. The vote was initially postponed after the Henry County Board of Commissioners offered an objection to the annexation, but that objection was rescinded in November, allowing the City Council to act on the request.

The acreage already in the city was the subject of a request for a comprehensive plan amendment, changing the designation from Light Industrial to High-Density Residential. That property is at the end of Technology Parkway and fronts Hwy. 42 like the other tract. After the annexation vote, both pieces of property were included in this application.

It was noted that without the amendment, potential uses for the property would include truck stops, warehouses, and auto repair shops. The applicant expressed willingness to complete a traffic study and discuss the installation of a traffic light if it were required by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

After the comprehensive plan amendment was approved, a rezoning request was considered for the entire site, putting all 42 acres under a PUD (planned unit development) zoning. This was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission with 19 conditions.

The attorney representing the applicant described the proposed development as consisting of 100 units which would be restricted to age 55 and older and located adjacent to a traumatic brain injury facility. The intent is to allow for independent seniors and individuals with traumatic brain injuries to transition back into everyday life, according to the applicant, and would provide much-needed housing for seniors in the community. It would include a number of amenities such as pools with cabanas, walking trails and two separate clubhouse facilities. The attorney noted that the timing of the request is good with Henry County implementing a moratorium on multi-family townhomes and duplex housing.

When asked if short-term rentals would be allowed, the council was informed that there would be flexibility for rentals but not AirBnBs. The selling price point was estimated at between $250,000 and $300,000.

Each agenda item — the annexation, comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning — included a public hearing, and no one spoke either for or against any of the three applications. All three were approved with no opposition vote.

In other business, the council approved a $300,000 annual contract with Site Engineering, Inc. for on-call water and sewer emergency and operational repair/maintenance and construction services. The contract is to be funded from the city’s stormwater budget.

Also approved was a $1,271,650 bid award to Diversified Construction of Georgia, Inc. for construction of a wastewater treatment plant pole barn. The funding source for this project is the Water and Sewer Department’s fund balance account.