Planners scale back proposal

Gwinnett’s planning commission did not shoot the proposal down altogether, as some neighbors would have liked — but it did recommend drastically scaling back the large and controversial subdivision proposed for one of the county’s few remaining “rural” areas.

A group called June Ivey Development LLC originally proposed building more than 350 homes on about 160 wooded acres near June Ivey and Indian Shoals road, a largely undeveloped part of eastern Gwinnett. Doing so would require the property be rezoned.

The planning commission held a public hearing on the proposed development during its March meeting and was greeted by dozens of neighbors protesting the project, arguing that it would spoil the rural character of their community.

There was no public hearing during Tuesday night’s meeting, though a large crowd of red-clad protesters was present.

Chuck Warbington, who is both the planning commission chairman and the representative for the property in question, did not mince words before making his recommendations.

“The motion I’m going to make tonight is not going to make either side happy,” he said. “... I think we’re going to be able to make something that the community can support.”

The county’s planning department had recommended denial of the proposal but offered a set of possible conditions to be imposed upon the developer should the planning commission decide its own recommendation would be to approve.