A townhome proposal on Bells Ferry Road that would include dedicated workforce housing units has been delayed by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
Commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday to hold until July an application by builder Dennis Tidwell and his company, Bumblee Capital, to construct 15 townhomes on 1.4 acres at 1471 Bells Ferry Road, with price points under $500,000.
The land is adjacent to another townhome development and along Bells Ferry between Cobb Parkway and Interstate 75, amid commercially-zoned land and homeless encampments.
But the request became contentious earlier this month before the Cobb Planning Commission, which voted to recommend denial. The land is currently zoned R-20, or low-density residential.
Tidwell is seeking the RM-12 zoning category, and has said that any density less than that would scotch any chance at affordable housing.
In his application, Tidwell stressed the need to build for such professionals as teachers, nurses and first responders.
But the Cobb Zoning Staff has recommended denial, and after two months of delays leading up to the Planning Commission vote, Tidwell lashed out publicly.
He sent a lengthy e-mail to media representatives on June 3, noting the support from residents at the Cottages of Marietta, the adjacent townhome community.
“It provides affordable housing, improves stormwater conditions, fits the transitional nature of the area, and offers the community its best chance to eliminate the dangerous encampments,” Tidwell said of his request.
He also filed an administrative complaint, alleging that Planning Commissioner Fred Beloin pre-determined his vote in an off-the-record discussion with colleague Sara Micheletto before the meeting.
Micheletto is the appointee of District 2 Commissioner Erick Allen, who represents that area of Bells Ferry Road.
The Planning Commission vote also recommended allowing only 10 units under the RM-8 category.
In his June 3 letter to the media, Tidwell wrote that “the message being sent is unmistakable: Cobb County does not want workforce housing.
“Developers will move on to other areas. The real loss here is for Cobb residents — especially young families — who continue to face an affordability crisis that County leadership has acknowledged for years.”
He echoed similar sentiments on Tuesday, saying that the affordable price caps he’s asking for “are only possible with RM-12 density. If density drops, prices rise. If prices rise, workforce commitment collapses. Lowering the density would eliminate the kind of housing the county says it wants to encourage.”
There wasn’t any opposition expressed on Tuesday, but Commissioner Erick Allen—whose district includes that portion of Bells Ferry Road—asked about the pricing caps.
Tidwell said that with RM-12 zoning, he could put a price cap on a three-bedroom townhome of $370,000. The homebuyers targeted make too much to qualify for government-subsidized housing, and typically earn up to 120 percent of the average median income (AMI).
But the density he’s proposing is 10.7 units an acre, which largely prompted the staff recommendation of denial. The Cottages of Marietta, which is in the City of Marietta, has a density of 5.3 units and acre, and the homes are detached units.
Allen said while Tidwell’s request does “solve some issues for me” regarding workforce housing he made the motion to continue the case “to do a little more work on how we can make this work.”
Commissioner Keli Gambrill said that they cannot enforce price points on homes, “so there is no mechanism for us to enforce that. How will that be achieved?”
Allen acknowledged it’s a “desire” that cannot be enforced, and Chairwoman Lisa Cupid asked if there’s anything in the current zoning code that could be used as a guide for pricing.
Cobb Zoning Division chief John Peterson referenced square footage—Tidwell’s homes are proposed to be between 2,400 and 2,700 square feet—as an option.
He also suggested the board providing other policies, such as waiving some fees, but said “there’s only limited things we can do at this point in the process.”
“We’re dependent on the goodwill” of developers to build at lower price points, Cupid said.
Peterson reminded her “it’s unconstitutional for this board to institute a house price.”
Gambrill suggested considering zonings that hew closer to the the minimum square footage—including 950 square feet for a detached home—but Cupid added that size doesn’t necessarily dictate price.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell noted there’s a difference between workforce housing and affordable housing, and asked, “What are we looking at here?”
Allen said that’s one of the questions he wants to be discussed with a delay.
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