The Hall County Planning Commission Monday night recommended approval of two parcels seeking to add 337 new lots in a subdivision on Lake Lanier.
The first development is a 121-lot subdivision sitting on 62.26 acres of land located at 3271 and 3270 Buffinton Farm Road. The applicant, Arabella Capital, LLC, is requesting to rezone the property from Agricultural Residential and Vacation-Cottage to Planned Residential Development, according to Hall County staff reports.
The second development plans to be a 216-lot subdivision in the same area, situated on 108.13 acres of land. That parcel is currently zoned as Planned Residential Development already, but Arabella Capital, LLC is hoping to reassess that zoning in order to amend several conditions that were previously set, due to changes in the original site plan.
Hall County planning staff recommended approval of both items to the planning commission prior to the Monday evening meeting. However, that recommendation didn’t come without several conditions.
Both properties have been recommended to have a minimum lot square footage of 6,500 feet. Additionally, each home will be required to have at least a two-car garage, with full access via internal roadways. No lot is permitted to have direct access from Buffington Road, according to staff recommendations.
Two nearby residents spoke in opposition to the developments, citing traffic concerns. Primarily, the concerns were brought in tandem with the addition of the upcoming Inland Port, which sits just south of the proposed area. Along with the in-progress Sandra Dunagan Deal Elementary School, residents expressed worry about traffic bottlenecks and the overall size of the development.
The planning commission questioned the applicant’s desire to make each of the developments gated communities. One condition was added to the approval vote, requiring the developments to only add gates if they don’t impede existing property owners' ability to access their homes.
The applicant's legal representative, Wesley Robinson, stated that while phase one of the project has already begun, he is unsure when the rest of the development will be completed.
With the planning commission’s recommendation vote, the final decision will now go to the Hall County Board of Commissioners on August 10.
