Dacula might shrink its city limits to make way for new homes
While other metro Atlanta cities try to expand their city limits, a Gwinnett city of about 6,000 residents is considering shrinking its geographic boundaries to make it easier for a developer to build its next phase of homes.
At its March meeting, the Dacula City Council accepted an application for de-annexing about 13.6 acres of land from its city limits. If approved, the land sandwiched between Sugarloaf Parkway and Alcovy Road will become part of unincorporated Gwinnett County, with Dacula giving up its responsibility over it.
Sitting on the edge of the city limits, the land will be used by Marietta-based Manor Restorations LLC to build 24 single-family homes, each priced at about $300,000. The new homes would be part of a larger residential development, which will add more than 140 total homes on about 65 acres of land.
The move by the city would make it easier for the developer, because homes in the project would have the same zoning regulations and not be split between city and county services, such as garbage pickup, said Shane Lanham, an attorney representing Manor Restorations LLC.
Council members aired little opposition to the application at a Thursday meeting. The city will discuss it in more detail and decide whether to move forward at an April meeting, said Joey Murphy, city administrator of Dacula. Murphy said it’d be Dacula’s first de-annexation since he started his job 14 years ago.
If Dacula moves forward with the de-annexation, the developer would still need to go before Gwinnett County officials to rezone the land before starting construction on the new homes.
About the Author
Tyler Wilkins is a local news reporter covering the cities of Gwinnett County for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He's particularly interested in explaining how local government institutions impact the residents they serve. He is a Georgia native and graduate of the University of Georgia.
