Townhomes, standalone single family homes proposed for neighborhood on both sides of Highway 278
Resident raise concerns over traffic, schools and public safety
A development along both sides of Highway 278 on land between Bill Carruth Parkway and Poplar Farms Road would add more homes to the City of Hiram if the council approves a mixed-use zoning request that has been around a year in the making.
Blue River Development wants to bring residential, commercial and even an opportunity to provide a connection to the Silver Comet Trail on a 50-acre stretch of land along the Highway, with most of that going toward 319 attached and unattached single family homes for sale to Hiram’s east end if approved in the upcoming September 2 council meeting.
It would join a second project that plans to bring around 300 more homes to Hiram as well, though that project still has a public hearing and a vote from the Hiram City Council to go before it can begin.
Rob Hosack, a representative from Blue River Development, told council members and a gathered crowd who spoke out against the new neighborhood that 10 acres of the property would be designated for commercial development of around 49,000 square feet of space for retail, and the city would have options for another four acres being designated for its use, with two acres of that likely to become a park because it is “unsuitable for building.” Two of those acres would be along the Highway 278 corridor that could be used in a variety of ways, including being sold through the Development Authority for further commercial development.
That development has been in the planning stages and has gone through environmental review, traffic studies and rounds with the Paulding County Planning and Zoning Department and the City of Hiram’s Project Manager Clifford McGrady to get to this stage.
Four issues Hosack attempted to address during the public hearing included buffers between the existing Poplar Farms neighborhood and the proposed new housing development; moving stormwater away from existing neighbors who have experienced past flooding, traffic and schools.
He said a “finalized, robust and complete” stormwater plan will be submitted before any building begins.
Schools is a particular area where an interesting solution is being put forth by the builders. They’ll be giving a $500 per unit – up to nearly $160,000 – toward the costs of new classrooms if they are required by the time the whole neighborhood buildout is complete as a way to offset the additional new students that might come from the addition of new families moving into the Paulding County School District.
When asked about a timeline, he told the council that if the zoning change to the new Mixed Use category was approved and combined the already permitted zoning into one, Blue River would begin with around a 6 to 8 month timetable on permitting, then would move forward with installing all of the utility infrastructure before any houses would go up. That would put the first nail into frames about two years out by Hosack’s estimate.
Current residents of Hiram were still unhappy with the answers at the public hearing provided by Hosack, who they feel aren’t hearing their concerns about adding new families and homes to an already packed area.
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Hiram’s explosive growth over the past three decades of expansion of Metro Atlanta’s population has come at a price: heavy traffic, crowded neighborhoods, increased crime rates over time and a larger number of desks per classroom in order to handle to influx of communities that have sprung up across the area.
Helena Williams was among those concerned that the new development along with another proposed and discussed during an August 18 town hall should be put on hold until Hwy. 92’s widening project can be completed and alleviate some of the traffic that backs up daily on multiple routes through the city limits.
“Semis are coming down the road every night at all hours,” Williams said. “It is ridiculous.”
Mayor Pro Tem Doris Devey read a letter into the record from a younger resident who was not named despite the protests of an attendee who said they should be part of the record since residents were forced to sign in and provide their addresses in order to speak in the public hearing. Despite that, the letter of support noted that housing for people like them who grew up in Hiram, went off to school and want to return don’t have a lot of options currently available to them for somewhere to start a family in the city limits.
One resident spoke up and said they wished that Hiram’s small town charm with all the amenities and the proximity to Atlanta was the reason they loved Hiram so much when they moved into the area, but now it is gotten out of control.
Others spoke out about stormwater, traffic on Poplar Farm Road already being difficult to navigate during morning commutes to work, and the additional strain that would be placed on law enforcement, firefighters and EMS who are already taxed by current conditions within the city limits and county as a whole.
Leigh Cleghorn said her experience just last week with traffic came in the form of waiting for 20 cars to turn out of her neighborhood onto the main roadway while trying to get to work at 7:45 a.m. and eventually was fed up with the holdup and turned right, then turned around at the next intersection to get out and on her way to the office.
“Traffic is only going to get worse,” she said.
Among those also raising questions on Tuesday was councilmember Melissa Bayardelle, who asked why if the project had been in the planning and “pre-engineering” stages for at least a year, it wasn’t until November 2024 she was even aware that it might be a possibility.
The council voted to approve a new Mixed Use development zone for such large developments in December 2024 with the intention of requiring a portion of neighborhoods to include commercial and greenspace opportunities to go along with the Paulding County Strategic Plan for growth and development over the coming years.
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Hosack said that Blue River was among those looking to be able to utilize apartment development with mixed use, but that the city’s strict policy on the new zoning structure won’t allow for any apartment complexes to be built in those neighborhoods, forcing builders to stick with attached townhomes for sale as single family dwellings or homes on small lots.
The Blue River Development plans call for around 6 to 7 houses per acre (6.78 was the number quoted by Hosack during the Public Hearing on Tuesday. -KtE)
No decision on the zoning change was made during the Tuesday evening public hearing that took up much of the time of the City Council Work Session, but members will be back next Tuesday, September 2, to decide on this and several other agenda items for the coming month’s regular session.
The town hall over the Traton Homes LLC zoning request for a mixed-use development was held on August 18 to attempt to answer questions and hear concerns from residents about the development, but they requested to push back their zoning public hearing to September 30 over the large neighborhood they wish to develop as well.
Some of the audience on Tuesday did comment with interruptions during the public hearing on Tuesday that they believed there is a connection between the two companies, but Hiram officials denied that claim.
Another 279 homes are being proposed on a 63+ acre tract that spans Hwy. 92, Rosedale Drive and Seaboard Avenue. After a public hearing, that development would go before a vote during the October council meeting.
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