Planning commission recommends denial of rezoning near Cohutta

Charles Oliver, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·3 min read

Apr. 23—After several residents, including Cohutta Mayor Ron Shinnick, spoke out against it, the Dalton-Varnell-Whitfield County Planning Commission on Monday recommended denial of a request by Jonathan Hedden to rezone 15.82 acres on Chattanooga Road near the city of Cohutta from general agricultural to rural residential.

The planning commission makes recommendations to the city councils of Dalton and Varnell and the county commissioners.

The property is currently undeveloped. The rezoning would allow it to be divided into lots of less than five acres.

Hedden said he did not currently have plans to develop the property but said the rezoning could make it easier to sell in the future. But several residents, including Shinnick, said a more intense development could change the rural character of the area.

Commission member Chris Shiflett said typically when someone requests a rezoning that allows a "more intense" use of a property they come to the commission with a plan for the property.

"I just don't think we should get into the business of speculative rezoning," he said.

Commission member Jody McClurg said she did not think Hedden had any "ill intention" but she said the opponents' arguments "made sense."

The planning commissioners recommended approval of:

— A request by Peggy Sue Cook to rezone from rural residential to general agricultural 11.83 acres at 104/110 Bloomingdale Way, Tunnel Hill. The site "is currently developed with a single-family detached dwelling and manufactured home," according to a staff report. The rezoning would bring the use into conformity with the zoning.

— A request by Beverly Hawkins to rezone from general commercial to rural residential 0.96 of an acre at 2511 Old Chatsworth Highway, Dalton. The site currently has a single-family, detached dwelling on it. The rezoning would bring the use into conformity with the zoning and allow electricity to be reconnected to the dwelling.

— A request by Jorge Rene Ruedas to rezone from general commercial to rural residential 0.9 of an acre on Old Grade Road, Dalton. The owner wishes to develop it as residential.

— A request by Adrianna Cuevas to rezone from low-density, single-family residential to general agricultural 10.49 acres, with 9.41 acres in the unincorporated county and 1.08 acres in the city of Dalton at 402 Brooker Drive. The owner wishes to build a guest house on the site.

— A request by TCW Dalton LLC to de-annex 19.84 acres at 3035 Parquet Drive, Dalton, from the city of Dalton.

— A request by the city of Dalton to annex 50.06 acres at 1022 Enterprise Drive. The property is owned by the city and contains an electrical substation.

— A request by Christian Heritage Schools to annex 28.55 acres at 1600 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dalton. The property contains part of the school's campus and ball fields.

— A request by the city of Dalton to annex 15.26 acres on Old Haig Mill Lake Road. The property contains the city's Haig Mill Lake Park.