During Monday's Fairburn City

Council meeting, the Council approved proposed rezoning from Planned Development

(Bear Claw Golf and Country Club) PD-01 to Planned Development (The Parks

at Durham Lake) PD-06.

This planned development district

is located on Virlyn B. Smith Road at its intersection with Tell Road.

According to Jim Williams,

City Administrator, when Bear Claw Planned Development was originally

zoned, it included about 91 acres owned by Sunrise Builders. Subsequently,

Sunrise decided to pull out of the Bear Claw planned development and do

a completely separate planned development of its own.

Williams claims that Bear Claw

didn't adequately define or present in detail their future development

three years ago and that they got away with getting it approved somehow.

"From now on," Williams

stated, "future developers would need to go through the Land Commissioner

and City Council with the proper detailed information pertaining to their

future planned development and/or proposed rezoning.

"Developers will have

to carry out with their planned development without adding to it without

proper consent of approval," Williams continued. "If developers

do not comply, they will not be issued another permit on that particular

property."

The Parks at Durham Lake PD-06

land use will be single-family detached residential with lot sizes varying

from a minimum of 5,000 square feet to more than 15,000 square feet. It

shall be developed in accordance with the Overall Site Plan.

There shall be no more than

241 dwelling units on the tract. Of those, no more than 13 will be on

lots of from 5,000 to 6,000 square feet (5 percent of the lots); no more

than 106 will be on lots of from 6,000 to 8,500 square feet (44 percent

of the lots); at least 45 will be on lots of from 8,500 to 10,000 square

feet (19 percent of the lots); at least 46 will be on lots of from 10,000

to 12,000 square feet (19 percent of the lots); at least 27 will be on

lots of from 12,000 to 15,000 square feet (11 percent of the lots); and

at least four will be on lots of 15,000 square feet and larger (2 percent

of the lots).

In addition, to the 241 lots,

the planned development will have an amenity area with a community building,

at least one tennis court, and an outdoor pool.

Mr. John Owens of 6895 Tell

Road opposed the rezoning due to some unanswered questions pertaining

to the density, price range of the new homes and his recently raised property

tax. Owens claimed that his property tax went up $30,000 because of the

new homes in the area.

Jim Williams explained to Owens

that the density was about two to three units per acre and the homes cost

anywhere between $140,000 and $250,000. "And as for his property

tax," Williams stated, "there's nothing that could be done about

that. The development plan has already been approved for better or for

worse."

For the future, City Councilmen

do plan to evaluate all PD-06 zoning ordinances to make sure that they

written as adequately as possible.