Powder Springs officials are pausing acceptance of new residential rezoning applications for six months.
However, construction on hundreds of houses will continue in the city during the next six months.
“The city could become a victim of its own success unless we take a pause and assess where we are and how best we grow and develop the community,” said City Manager Pam Conner.
Powder Springs is Cobb County’s fastest growing city, according to the 2020 Census, which placed its population at 16,887.
“Due to numerous strategic initiatives and a business-friendly attitude, Powder Springs is growing faster than expected,” Conner said.
So far this calendar year, 125 permits for single-family houses and townhouses have been issued.
Construction continues at Kerley Family Homes’ Old Lost Mountain Estates, Creekwood by Paran Homes, Tapp Farm by Traton Homes and Townhomes at Park Place.
For subdivisions already under construction, certificates of occupancy had been issued for 137 homes, with 105 in progress and 104 units left to permit.
Multifamily projects under construction this year include Selig Development’s Heartwood Powder Springs, which will bring 300 units on 20 acres along Brownsville Road at Oglesby Road.
Novare Group will construct downtown 221 apartments across two sites — 4.9 acres, where Powder Springs City Hall and Community Development facilities previously sat, and 1.4 acres on Hotel Avenue.
Approved by a 4-0 council vote on Nov. 7, with Councilwoman Doris Dawkins not present, the moratorium on new residential rezonings will not affect any pending development proposals that already have been filed with the city or further along in the process and set to be considered by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council.
The moratorium also does not pause any residential projects previously approved by the City Council or prevent the permitting of such approved developments.
The city wants “to build upon its current success and continue to plan strategically and redevelop key areas,” Conner added, “improve roads and infrastructure, attract industries which in turn will employ our labor force closer to home and commercial development to diversify our tax base and remove barriers to quality development while providing housing choices for our entire community.”
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