Lavonia P&Z Commission Recommends Rezoning Approval for Townhome Complex

The Lavonia Planning & Zoning Commission has voted to recommend approval of a rezoning request for a new townhome development previously rejected in January.

Developer Kenny Whitworth representing the owners of 7.95 acres on Vickery St. Asked the City to approve his request to rezone the property from R-1 single-family residential to R-3 Multi-family Residential.

At their meeting Monday evening, Commission members first heard from City Manager Charles Cawthon who recommended approval of the rezoning request with eight conditions.

Those included agreeing to a Land Dispersal Permit giving the developer 30 months to begin construction.  Another condition Cawthon said is that the townhomes be fee simple.

“The development will be for fee-simple townhomes,” he said. “Again, these are not rentals, these are owner properties. That’s not to say that an individual owner won’t rent a unit but that’s not the way it’s set up. And this condition is for fee-simple ownership only.”

Cawthon added other conditions including no more than 95 units, building materials must be brick, stone, and/or Hardiplank siding.

Additionally, there’s a condition that requires a homeowners’ association to be set up and tag reading security equipment to be placed at the entrances to the property.

“A community homeowners’ association will be required. It being an ownership property, establishing and maintaining an HOA will achieve that consistency we’d like to see. The developer shall install Flock Safety or other approved equivalent tag-reading cameras at entrances to the development. I think this would be a selling point for them. Going forward I think we will look at that,” he said.

Final conditional requirements include adhering to EPD and GDOT guidelines during construction.

Whitworth told the Commission neither he nor the property owners have a problem with the conditions the City set forth.

During the public comment period, only one person spoke.

Phoebe Chapman lives on Wright St. And told the Commission she was concerned her property taxes would go up with the new development so close to her neighborhood.

After hearing from Whitworth, the Commission voted unanimously to recommend the City Council approve his rezoning request.

The City Council will likely vote on their recommendation at their regular meeting next Monday, March 6.