Duluth City Council votes against annexation for townhomes

In a close vote last week, the Duluth City Council chose to deny annexation and rezoning of 6.05 acres for a townhome community near the Stonebrier at Sugarloaf subdivision. The split vote, 2 in favor and 3 opposed, followed a public hearing.

Despite improvements including an increase in home size from 1,800 square feet to 2,400 square feet, longer driveways and 100 percent brick construction, outcry from the Stonebrier community swayed the vote.

Stonebrier homeowners argued townhomes don’t fit with the area’s 2007 comprehensive plan or the city’s 2013 unified development code. The applicant, Mitch Peevy of Mill Creek Consultants in Buford, discussed challenges with the shape of the property in accommodating single-family homes or the reduction in number of townhomes from 38 to 30.