DEMOREST, Ga. — After months of debate over growth and a countywide housing moratorium, the Habersham County Board of Commissioners is expected to focus heavily on its proposed unified development code during its annual planning retreat Tuesday.
The retreat is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Piedmont University’s Student Commons in Demorest. A quorum of commissioners will be present, and the meeting is open to the public.
While the agenda includes financial updates, SPLOST projects, property tax legislation and fire service consolidation, the longest discussion block is reserved for zoning and the unified development code — the issue that has dominated county government in recent months.
Commissioners in September approved an emergency moratorium on new residential housing developments as they began rewriting the county’s land development regulations. They later voted to extend that moratorium, citing the need to slow growth while the new code is drafted and considered.
The proposed unified development code would replace the county’s current community land development ordinance and consolidate zoning, subdivision and development regulations into a single document.
According to draft materials prepared for the retreat, the rewrite includes:
• A reworked set of zoning districts, including a new rural residential district with a two-acre minimum lot size and a conservation district with a five-acre minimum.
• Allowing multifamily housing in a suburban residential district at a density of up to five units per acre, but only on parcels of at least five acres with public water and sewer.
• New standards for major subdivisions, including required homeowners associations, curb-and-gutter streets, underground utilities and minimum house sizes.
• A “cluster subdivision” option that would allow smaller lots in exchange for preserving remaining acreage as permanently protected open space.
• Shifting subdivision plat approvals to staff when proposals meet ordinance requirements.
• Requiring Board of Commissioners approval for new wireless telecommunications towers and data centers.
Planning Director Mike Beecham is scheduled to lead the zoning discussion.
The retreat also includes presentations on the county’s financial outlook, SPLOST-funded capital projects, potential changes to property tax and local sales tax structures, and ongoing discussions about consolidating fire services.
However, with the housing moratorium still in place and growth concerns continuing to surface at public meetings, the unified development code is expected to be the centerpiece of Tuesday’s planning session as commissioners consider how Habersham County should grow in the years ahead.
