Senoia's

first foray into zoning with quarter acre lots hit a

roadblock Monday night.

The council

was set to approve a new subdivision on Rockaway Road

that features the new zoning category that allows smaller

lots as long as 25 percent of the green space is

preserved.

Instead,

the council debated the issue for more than 30 minutes

and finally postponed a final vote on the plat until May

15.

The biggest

bone of contention was Councilman Robert Hannah's

suggestion that the developers should provide a traffic

island at the entrance.

"It's

just better for beauty and safety concerns," he

said.

The

subdivision features 55 homes on 26 acres, with six acres

of the total reserved for green space.

After

Hannah suggested the island proposal, Mayor Joan Trammell

asked the council to look at the overall scope of the

subdivision.

"We

have to start thinking about our responsibility. This

island is not going to make or break the

subdivision," she said.

Trammell

also took exception to the idea being brought before the

council, instead of discussing it earlier when all

parties would have had more time to examine it.

Islands are

not required in any of the city's subdivision regulations

and city administrator Leonard Thompson said he would

have a tough time telling the developer how big the

island should be.

Still,

Hannah hung tough and asked the developer to study the

feasibility of placing an island in the subdivision.

A visibly

frustrated Trammell asked the council to study the plat

carefully before the next meeting and be prepared to vote

on it.

Councilman

Dianne Cleveland said she still had concerns about the

high density in that part of town.

But

Trammell reminded the council that they should not use

their ideas about one-acre lots as a measurement for

voting on this proposal.

Higher

density housing and more green space was the source of a

controversial vote at the end of March.

vote, the council approved the first reading of an

amendment to the city's zoning ordinances to provide for

an open space zoning category.

Under the

new category, developers will be able to build homes on

lots as small as a quarter acre, if public sewer is

available.

In return,

developers agree to leave at least 25 percent of the

total tract as open space that be used for such items as

public trails and parks that can be used by all residents

of the city.

The

ordinance also reads that no more than 75 percent of the

open space can be used for active recreation areas, such

as golf courses.

Councilwoman

Judy Belisle said she had a problem with increasing the

density, but Mayor Trammell said the payoff is worth it.

"I

want more green space and to keep more of our trees.

Developers will only be getting 10 percent more houses

under this proposal," she said.

The open

space zoning also requires developers to keep open space

50 feet around the perimeter of the development.