Auburn officials, preparing for rapid growth, are still discussing a proposal that would add more than 500 homes to the small city with less than 8,000 residents.
Chafin Land Development plans to build 355 single-family homes and 174 townhomes on about 170 acres off Apalachee Church Road. City Council must annex the land from Barrow County and rezone it for the plans to come to fruition, which it will likely decide on August 5.
Developers are interested in building new homes all around Auburn, which is located on the edge of Barrow and Gwinnett counties. More than 1,200 homes could be built in coming years if officials give developers the go-ahead.
Auburn officials annexed and rezoned about 74 acres at Hills Shop Road in June for 386 homes. Earlier this month, council tabled requests from Chafin Land Development and Clayton Properties for 98 acres at Carl-Cedar Hill Road that would add 315 homes
Officials discussed traffic improvements at a Thursday meeting that could quash traffic buildup near the Apalachee Church Road project, an issue several residents mentioned at an earlier meeting.
The road upgrades will likely be conditions for approving the requests, said Jay Miller, community development director of the city. The developer would build some of the improvements or pay the city to do it.
A traffic study recommends building a right-turn lane from Apalachee Church Road onto U.S. 29, or a roundabout or traffic signal at the intersection. Miller said a new turn lane would improve traffic flow on the busy road regardless of the proposed homes.
The study calls for left and right turn lanes while exiting the development. It also recommends a deceleration lane and left turn lane on Apalachee Church Road to enter the site.
The project’s location is close to Rowen, the 2,000-acre “knowledge community” planned near Dacula. The roads built through Rowen to Ga. 316 could help relieve some of the traffic buildup in the area, Miller said.
The residential development would be called Fowler Farms, in honor of the seller of the property whose family has lived there since the 1940s.
City Council tabled its decision on the development at a June meeting, at which several residents spoke in support and opposition to the plan. Those in favor urged their fellow residents to embrace inevitable growth, while others worried about traffic and Auburn losing its small-town charm.
Mayor Linda Blechinger previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the city could choose how the land develops by having control over it. This would allow Auburn residents to have a say in what happens, she said, as she expects Barrow County to develop the land if Auburn doesn’t.
Population is expected to more than double in both Barrow and Gwinnett counties by 2050, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission.
State Sen. Clint Dixon, who serves as acquisitions manager for Chafin Land Development, said he’d be willing to accept the conditions set by council.
If approved, the mixed-size homes would sell in the $350,000-$400,000 range. The gated community would offer resort-style amenities and possibly a “lazy river” flowing throughout, Dixon said.
Dixon said he’d expect to break ground in spring 2022. Homes would be built in phases starting in 2023, he said, likely not completing all 529 until 2028.
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