GAINESVILLE – The Hall County Planning Commission gave unanimous recommendation for approval to a five-lot and six-lot subdivision Monday in a pair of separate appeals, each subdivision to be built on larger-than-normal parcels of land.
Odom Smallwood Estates developer Kent Henderson plans to create five lots on 33.83-acres at the intersection of Odum Smallwood and Jess Helton Roads; Sherry McAdams wants to divide 24.91-acres on Conner Road near Flowery Branch into six lots.
McAdams’ property, as recently as March, 2016, had been submitted to Hall County as a 56-lot subdivision. Although that application was recommended for approval with several conditions, McAdams withdrew her request in May before receiving a final decision from the Hall County Commission
She returned to the Planning Commission Monday afternoon with a new application and hopes to construct much larger homes (2,800-square feet minimum) on much larger building lots. According to the Hall County Planning Department average size homes within a half-mile radius are nearly a thousand square feet smaller.
Henderson’s development will also include large homes. “They’ll be a minimum of 1600 (square feet) but…they’ll be fairly sizable house(s)…possibly up to 3000-square feet or more,” Henderson said.
The move to fewer, but larger, homes on acreage lots has one advantage according to Charles Turner of the Hall County Engineering Division: storm water management requirements.
“As you are aware,” Turner said to the commissioners, “when subdivisions are created we usually have a storm water plan for those subdivisions.” That can include costly curbing, storm water drainage systems, detention ponds and grading to contour the development so as to improve storm water management.
“(These) fall under an exemption of a six-lot or less subdivision, which means they are exempt from our storm water management requirements,” Turner explained.
“If at any time those larger parcels are subdivided such as it creates seven or more lots, then all of those lots would have to have storm water management created for them,” he added.
Final approval on both applications will be determined by the Hall County Commission on July 27th.
