Taylor wants traffic study on Euharlee Road
Rezoning for residential development on Euharlee Road is stopped into early 2027.
That was the news that came at the end of Bartow Commissioner Steve Taylor’s meeting Wednesday morning. Taylor made the moratorium announcement based on many recent complaints of overdevelopment. It begins immediately.
“We’re hearing from people there are problems on Euharlee Road,” Taylor said. “We hear you loud and clear.”
The moratorium to prohibit any rezoning or residential development applications until Jan. 7, 2027. He said the county is hiring a firm to do a Euharlee Road traffic study on Euharlee Road. The moratorium allows for county officials to review results and make changes, if needed.
The moratorium applies to one mile of the public road beginning at the Floyd County line and ending at Highway 113. It doesn’t affect any current projects.
Taylor’s announcement came after discussion and several public speakers surrounding a proposed residential development on 58 acres at 264 Euharlee Road near the Westgate subdivision, closer to Cartersville.
Neville Allison, managing partner of The Revive Land Group, spoke asking Taylor to send the proposal back to the Bartow Planning Commission, who originally denied a recommendation for the rezoning the land from A-1 to R-8. Allison said the company evaluated the public’s concerns after the planning meeting and revamped the plan. He said it now seeks an R-1 rezoning rather than R-8, which lowers the home density from 131 homes to 98 houses.
The new plan also has a conservation element where there is more greenspace and buffer between the proposed development and Westgate. It would reduce the homes backing Westgate from 30 to 10, Allison said.
Taylor agreed to send the proposal back to the planning commission and it will be heard at the May 18 planning commission meeting, then the June commissioner’s meeting. He said it would not be under the moratorium since the application was already made.
The plan change did nothing to convince Euharlee Road area residents at the meeting. They spoke of traffic, drainage, and environment concerns.
“When I moved here from California 20 years ago, we woke up to whipperwills. We don’t hear them anymore,” said Terry Ayer, a Westgate resident whose property backs the proposed development.
William Peters, a 30-year-resident, said it’s impossible to get out on Euharlee Road between 7:30 to 10 a.m.
Roberta Hroza, who owns approximately 50 acres eight miles down Euharlee Road, said the problem is the number of developments being constructed on the road and brought up other controversial proposals like data centers residents have fought recently. She said it is causing traffic and displacing many wild animals.
“When is enough, enough,” Hroza said. “I moved out here for the country. I don’t understand why Euharlee is the catch all for everything.”
In other business, Taylor approved rezoning Sandtown Road property from A-1 to R-1 to allow for five homes to be built. The property had 4 mobile homes and a house. The property owner said the mobile homes deteriorated, so they made a decision to replace them with single-family homes.
Taylor also approved:
- Amending development regulations in the county code to encourage large-lot development over high-density development. The new regulations address roads and setbacks for developments with homes on three to five acres.
- Necessary documents for a roundabout at Hamilton Crossing and Fire Tower Road with crosswalks.
- Accepting the payment agreement for the county-owned Townsend Park nursing home. Attorney Keith Lovell said it received a $370,000 payment with the county getting $52,000 of that to use for maintaining or other needs for the property.
- Approved applying for the T-Mobile Hometown Grant to enhance the Euharlee Covered Bridge with lights and benches. It is a $48,000 grant supported by the Euharlee City Council.
- Applying for a Community Foundation Grant that improves logos and public transportation for the developmentally and intellectually challenged.
- Approved an agreement for the Transit Trust Fund Program which amounts to $141,300 from the Georgia Department of Transportation to supplement the county’s public transit program.
Melody Dareing is a freelance writer for publications in the U.S, Canada, the UK and Germany. She is a former news director of Adelphia Channel 4 and WBHF Radio. She is on Facebook,X, YouTube, content on Substack, and has a podcast on Rumble.