New Details Emerge on Zoning, Fence Rules and Mixed-Use Changes Ahead of Woodstock Planning Commission Meeting March 5, 2026

This story has been updated with additional details drawn from the full agenda packet for the Woodstock Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in The Chambers at City Center, 8534 Main St.

As Woodstock Community News previously reported, the commission will hold three public hearings covering a residential variance at 64 and 68 Linton Street, a proposed amendment to fence rules in zoning buffers, and updates to the GC-VMU mixed-use zoning district. The full agenda packet provides significant new detail on all three items.

On the Linton Street variance, case V#218-25, the packet reveals the backstory behind the rental restriction the applicant is seeking to remove. Documents show that a prior variance - case V#213-25 - was approved for the same two properties and included a condition stating that residential units 'shall be fee simple' and that 'no short term or long term rentals may be allowed after February 28, 2026.' That deadline has now passed. The applicant, identified in the packet as Alec Davidson, is now asking the commission to remove that restriction as part of the new variance request, which would also allow more than one residential unit per building. The properties - 64 Linton Street, Tax ID 92N02 006B, and 68 Linton Street, Tax ID 92N02 006C - are identified in legal descriptions as Mixed-Use Tracts 6 and 7 within the Adair Park subdivision, recorded in Plat Book 119, Page 833, in Cherokee County records. The prior variance conditions also noted that approval does not negate the provision of a commercial unit in the buildings, and that all other requirements of the Historic Overlay remain in place.

On the fence amendment, ZTA#022-26, the packet provides context for why staff is pursuing the change. City code does not currently require permits for fence installation, meaning fences may have been placed in zoning buffers without staff knowledge. The existing variance process - which would be the standard route for relief - is described in the staff report as 'a time-intensive and costly endeavor.' Staff argues that fences have relatively limited land disturbance, typically affecting only the areas where fence posts are set in the ground, and that the Development Process Committee already has authority to grant administrative variances for minor site provisions such as setback reductions and parking adjustments. The DPC met February 26 and voted 6-0 to recommend approval of the amendment. If adopted, the change would allow property owners to seek administrative approval for fence encroachment into zoning buffers without going through a full variance hearing before the Planning Commission or City Council.

The most detailed new material in the packet concerns ZTA#021-26, the proposed update to the GC-VMU General Commercial Village Mixed-Use zoning district. Staff reports frame the amendment as a bridge measure intended to support mixed-use development envisioned in the city's Livable Centers Initiative study and its 2023 Comprehensive Plan while a purpose-built Planned Unit Development zoning district is still being drafted.

Under the proposed changes, ground-floor residential uses - currently not allowed by right in the GC-VMU district - could be permitted in the Parkway Overlay District, which covers the Highway 92 corridor, and in the Ridgewalk Overlay District, through a Conditional Use Permit process. Any applicant seeking that CUP would be required to submit a Master Plan that includes a conceptual site layout showing how all uses integrate, architectural design concepts for all buildings, and minimum architectural standards meeting or exceeding those required by the applicable zoning district and overlay. The Public Works Director or Community Development Director could also require preliminary grading and utility design to be included in the Master Plan for projects where those issues are of heightened concern.

The amendment would also allow City Council to approve increased residential density of up to 25 units per acre in the GC-VMU district for properties within the Parkway and Ridgewalk Overlays, through a rezoning process. Staff describes this as initiating 'the minimum recommended redevelopment density of the Highway 92 LCI.' The current GC-VMU density standard shown in the Development Standards Table in the packet lists a maximum of 12 units per acre. The proposed 25-unit-per-acre ceiling would only be available through a City Council-approved rezoning, not by right.

Staff notes in the report that the city intends to use individual development requests coming through the new CUP and rezoning process as case studies to inform the standards of the future PUD district currently under development. The Development Process Committee voted unanimously at its February 25, 2026 meeting to recommend approval of ZTA#021-26. Staff is recommending the Planning Commission forward the amendment to City Council for final approval. The ordinance language included in the packet lists a first reading date of March 23, 2026, and a second reading date of April 9, 2026, before the Mayor and Council.

The staff report for ZTA#021-26 cites three goals from the city's 2023 Comprehensive Plan Update as supporting the amendment: Goal 3.2, which calls for integrating housing into mixed-use and traditional development; Goal 4.2, which encourages mixed-use development reflecting the Future Development Map character areas; and Goal 4.7, which encourages mixed-use development and a balance of residential and non-residential uses to promote internal connectivity.

All three items are scheduled as public hearings, and residents may speak before the commission votes. Hearing assistance is available upon request. For more information, contact the City of Woodstock at 770-592-6000 or visit woodstockga.gov.