DALTON, Ga. – The developers behind a proposed 74-acre planned community on Cleveland Highway across from North Whitfield Middle School say they are aiming for a “Mayberry” feel for the community.

“Mayberry” is a quaint, fictional town in the popular television show “The Andy Griffith Show.”

“We believe this will be a truly intergenerational community,” said Jerome Hollis, one of the partners in Greenwood Developers, which is behind the project.

On Monday, the Dalton-Whitfield County Planning Commission voted 3-0 to recommend that the county Board of Commissioners approve a request by Greenwood to rezone the site to planned unit development from general agriculture. Planned unit development allows for a mix of land uses within a single subdivision or development. The rezoning request now goes to the Board of Commissioners, who are expected to vote on it at their Sept. 9 meeting.

Planning Commission members Tom Minor and John Thomas recused themselves from the vote. They did not cite the specific reason for their recusals.

Ethan Calhoun, the planning director for the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, which handles staff work for the Planning Commission, said approval of the rezoning is based on the site plan presented by Greenwood. If the developers wish to make any changes to the site plan, they will have to come back before the Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners for approval.

The site plan presented to the Planning Commission shows a tree-lined split parkway going through the heart of the community, as well as a swimming pool and clubhouse. The development will have more than 300 housing units, consisting of a mixture of quadplex, single-story condominiums; multi-story townhouse condominiums; smaller cottage homes and larger estate homes, as well as loft apartments above retail units near Cleveland Highway.

Mitchell Hollis, another Greenwood partner, told the planning commissioners that the homes will have porches facing the community streets but most will not have front-facing driveways. Instead, there will be alleys behind the homes and drivers will pull into rear-facing garages.

Jerome Hollis described the project as “medium to high end construction.” He said the exact pricing of the units hasn’t been decided but they will probably range from $200,000 to $300,000.

The Board of Commissioners meets jointly with the Planning Commission, and county Commissioner Harold Brooker expressed concern about the density of the development.

Mitchell Hollis said the density is similar to two of its other projects: Orchard Place in north Whitfield County on Pleasant Grove Road off Cleveland Highway and the final phase of The Villas at Hammond Creek.

Jerome Hollis said the density will be “roughly five units per acre.”

“If we did a regular condominium development on this site, we could put eight to 10 units per acre,” he added. “We aren’t asking for that.”

Ron Johnson, who lives near the proposed development, asked about the impact the development will have on traffic on Cleveland Highway.

Jerome Hollis said a traffic study is underway for the Georgia Department of Transportation. A new North Whitfield Middle School is scheduled to open near Edwards Park in the fall of 2021. Whitfield County Schools Superintendent Judy Gilreath said the Board of Education has had no discussions of what to do with the current site of the school.

Scott Tate, who also lives near the site of the proposed development, asked about runoff.

Jerome Hollis said there will be an extensive stormwater control system that will include numerous detention and retention ponds. He said the engineers designing the system tell him there will be even less runoff than there is now.

“The stormwater rules from the state of Georgia that we have to abide by are very strict,” he said.

Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce President Rob Bradham spoke in favor of the rezoning. He pointed to a housing study done for Believe Greater Dalton, a public-private partnership of the chamber and local governments created to implement a five-year strategic plan for the city and Whitfield County, that found Whitfield County’s housing stock is aging. Just 18 percent of the county’s housing stock was built in the 21st century. Statewide, the average is 31 percent. The study said more housing construction is needed in Whitfield County to keep up with demand.

A previous study for Believe Greater Dalton found that 62% of those who work in Whitfield County and earn $40,000 a year or more live outside Whitfield County. Lack of housing was the top reason cited by those who don’t live in Whitfield County for why they don’t live here.

“What Greenwood Developers is talking about building on the Cleveland Highway is completely consistent with the housing study released last year,” Bradham said.

He said he is pleased that the proposed project will include different types of housing that will appeal to a wide range of ages.

“People have a misconception that the 62% that earns $40,000 or more from a job in Whitfield County who don’t live here are all young professionals,” he said. “That’s not true. They come in all ages. This project addresses all of those age brackets.”

The board of Dalton Utilities approved in concept a plan to extend sewer to the exterior of the development. The developers would pay to extend it into the subdivision.