The Henry County Board of Commissioners adopted development code revisions on Tuesday, May 18. The revisions apply to mixed use development, but only in certain applications.
The increased standards apply to the following:
- properties zoned commercial (C-1, C-2 or C-3),
- located within the highway corridor overlay district, and
- in an area designated for residential or mixed use development on the future land use map.
For properties that meet all three criteria points, the owner / applicant can opt to build mixed use instead. The county does not require a rezoning or public hearing for properties that pursue this code section.
Moving Henry Forward previously shared the standards would apply to property zoned for mixed use (MU). That was a misinterpretation on my part of the proposal, and I apologize for the misinformation. Though the standards below will not apply to mixed use zoning, they create a benchmark that future zoning conditions can mirror. The BOC has the opportunity to add zoning conditions when a land owner / developer applies for rezoning.
Henry County added the option to develop mixed use projects on commercial zoned property in 2018. To date, no projects have taken advantage of the code section.
Mixed Use standards for commercial properties
The code revisions include the following:
- All single-family residential development requires a min. home size of 2,500 square feet with at least a two-car garage,
- All townhome development requires a min. home size of 2,000 sq ft with at least a two-car garage, and
- Stand-alone apartment or condo structures, as well as duplexes, are prohibited.
The revisions encourage mixed-use structures with both commercial and apartment space. Apartment or condo units shall be limited to Class-A modern, luxury, resort-style, interior corridor access only. The average heated square footage of apartment units within the mixed-use building shall be a minimum of 1,500 square feet.
The code limits commercial uses to C-1 and C-2 uses not otherwise prohibited by the overlay district. Each business can be a max of 30,000 sq ft. The code revision also prohibits outside storage.
Finally, developments shall include monument entrances with monument-based signage, masonry columns and boulevard entrances.
Locations
Moving Henry Forward identified some possible locations where the code revisions are applicable. The use of the mixed use standards are optional. Potential locations include the following:
- North of East Lake Parkway east of Price Quarters Road
- South of Jonesboro Road between Chambers Road and Vinings Drive
- North of Jodeco Road west of I-75
Other locations may be possible based on a site’s zoning and meeting the three criteria points identified above.
Featured image shows the Avalon development in Alpharetta. Photo credit C. Carte.
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