There is a proposal underway that could eventually bring Coweta County its first large residential development since the recession began. The Northgate Preserve on Fischer Road would bring 184 homes on nearly 407 acres with 46 percent open space to the area of Fischer Road, Raymond Hill Road and I-85.
Coweta County Planning Director Robert Tolleson at the April 5 meeting of the Coweta County Commission said the development falls under a design option in the Rural Conservation Subdivision designation that allows a higher density than the customary one unit per two acre base.
Providing home sizes that are 150 percent larger than the minimum square footage requirement and a donation to the county of a total of .78 acres for greenway space by property owner Norman Vernon Richie Trust met the requirement to have an increase in density. Utilizing those options under the county’s RCSD-A zoning means that the development would be eligible for 185 lots rather than the 161 lots without the options. The development is proposing 184 lots on 406.93 acres, Tolleson said.
The majority of the lots will be one-acre though some will range to approximately two acres. As part of the option agreement, the minimum home size of 1,725 square feet will be increased to a minimum of 2,542 square feet.
The land donation option conformed with the ordinance requirement set forth in the Coweta County Greenbelt Plan, Tolleson said. The .78-acre donation equates to 1,350.8 linear feet along Fischer Road at a depth of 25 feet.
The amount of open space in the development exceeds the ordinance requirement. The ordinance requires a minimum of 35 percent open space, but initial plans submitted on behalf of the Norman Vernon Richie Trust indicate 46 percent open space, or 188 of the 407 acres included in the development.
The Northgate Preserve property is bordered by and accessed from Fischer Road on the east and is bordered by Raymond Hill Road on the south and I-85 on the west.
The Northgate Preserve development is only in the beginning stages, having only this week submitted its preliminary plat information. The preliminary plat process includes required public notice and a public comment period. Further ordinance requirements include a construction plan process and a final plat process, all of which will likely take several months.
While Coweta County has been more fortunate than many of its neighbors in terms of business development during the recession it has, as in surrounding counties, seen a understandable shortage in residential proposals since the recession began. The proposed Northgate Preserve, provided it receives final approval, would be the first moderate or large residential development since The Legends near Sharpsburg was approved in 2007.
