This 500-acre development could bring over 1,400 housing units to north Columbus

A developer with Hughston Homes has applied to rezone property in north Columbus for a 508-acre housing development.

Plans for the development show 425 single family homes, 890 apartment units and 97 townhomes located on vacant land on both sides of Interstate 185 at Hubbard Road.

The plans also show five acres of commercial office space and one single family lot on less than an acre.

The density for the single family homes would be 5.5 units per acre, while the apartments and office space would be 16.5 units per acre and the townhomes 18 units per acre.

The requested rezoning would change the property from an R1 zoning, which allows for a maximum density of one home per acre, to a Planned Unit Development, which would allow for the density the developer is applying for.

The developer has also asked for variances to the city’s ordinances to decrease the size of the buffers for the property.

Hughston Homes is headquartered in Fortson and has built homes in the metro areas of Columbus, Newnan, Warner Robins and Monroe as well as in Knoxville, Tennessee and Auburn and Opelika, Alabama.

Developments include Maple Lakes and Oak Hill in Cataula and Abberly Lakes in Ellerslie.

The plans have been submitted to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs as a Development of Regional Impact, which is required when the development is likely to have effects beyond just the Columbus government’s jurisdiction.

John Renfroe, principal planner with the city planning department, said the rezoning was scheduled to go before the Planning Advisory Commission in February but has been postponed to sometime in March or April.

“The planning department is now requiring the developer to do a traffic study on the surrounding roads,” Renfroe said in an email. “Once that is complete meeting notices will mailed out.”

This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 11:27 AM.