A divided DeKalb County Commission remains at odds over zoning, after a recent vote failed to advance further discussion on a comprehensive land-use plan.
The proposal, which would have continued conversations and study into potential zoning regulations, fell short of the votes needed to move forward. Commissioners on both sides say the issue ultimately comes down to balancing property rights with long-term planning. Commissioner Jack Barton said he wants to continue the discussion about zoning, as recent legal developments have left the county with fewer tools to regulate certain developments.
“I guess over the last three months or better, the proposition’s been, do we want to move forward to studying this?” Barton said. “Along about that three months was when the County Powers Act got overturned, which leaves us as a county or any county exposed.”
Commissioner Tony Culwell voted down moving forward with zoning and said he has had more constituents tell him they are against zoning than for it. He also said he believes land-use decisions should remain in the hands of property owners, rather than local government.
“I think it should be entirely left to property owners,” Culwell said. “If a person has property and they want to sell it, that’s their right, not the county telling them who they can sell it to and who they can’t.”
While acknowledging concerns about government overreach, Barton said zoning could be tailored to fit the county’s needs and would include safeguards like public input and grandfathering of existing land uses.
“We can make it as lenient or as hard as we want to by the public input,” Barton said. “Any existing land use gets grandfathered in.”
Culwell acknowledged concerns about development in rural areas, including quarries and data centers, but said those issues could be addressed without zoning while still allowing economic growth.
“A small county like us, the money that comes in helps,” Culwell said. “And then you can look at later decreasing property taxes and stuff like that.”
Culwell said he has concerns about the process itself, saying commissioners moved too quickly without enough public input.
“We were going to open it to the public and have meetings with the public,” Culwell said. “That was never brought up. We need to have more meetings with the public and get their input.”
Despite his vote, Culwell said he is not entirely opposed to zoning in the future if the process includes more community involvement.
“That’s what I want. One step at a time,” Colwell said. “Get the county, get the taxpayers’ input on zoning, and then we’ll go from there.”
Barton said approval to continue the discussion would have allowed the county to present the zoning plan to constituents better.
While the issue is not off the table, its future remains uncertain. Culwell said he plans to bring the topic back up in the coming months, this time with a stronger emphasis on public meetings and community feedback. Barton said he is concerned the issue may not be resolved before the current term ends, leaving the county without a clear path forward for managing growth.