Townhouses – defined as blocks of three or more attached homes that share a side wall between each two but have separate entrances – have suddenly become popular with Statesboro developers as a way to create more family-style housing in less space.

City Council is slated to take a second and decisive vote Tuesday on citywide standards for townhouses and also a new zoning category, the R-2 Townhouse Residential District.

Back on June 21, City Council postponed approval of zoning map changes  requested for two separate townhome developments totaling 220 proposed units.  This was done so that TSW, the Atlanta-based planning firm already working on a thorough rewrite of Statesboro’s zoning and related city laws, could push forward the townhome ordinance package.

When the mayor and council members heard an update during a work session July 19 before that evening’s regular meeting, city staff members revealed that interest in townhome development was larger than those two pending projects.

“We are, I think, at an interesting time in Statesboro because we have a number of townhome developments that are waiting, not just two, but …,” said City Manager Charles Penny.

“… nine; we’re up to nine,” Planning and Development Director Kathy Field completed the sentence.

“Nine townhome developments,” Penny said. “So this is critical. And I think that’s a good sign.”

He meant that it’s a good sign for the city pulling more housing construction into its boundaries after years when almost all of Bulloch County’s non-student residential growth occurred outside Statesboro.

Caleb Racicot, the TSW principal planner assigned to work with Statesboro, named one major catalyst for a surge in residential projects here. Hyundai’s planned electric vehicle and battery factory is to be built at the state and regionally created industrial Mega Site in northern Bryan County, but the workforce of about 8,100 people is expected to reside in a wider area.

“I would say that because of the new Hyundai plant and some other market trends, the city is going to be seeing a lot more residential development in the near term, so it’s really important to have standards that you can use to review and approve projects for townhomes,” Racicot said, speaking to Statesboro’s officials via Zoom.

Planning board OK

The definitions, rules and revisions for townhomes had been reviewed and recommended by the city’s appointed Planning Commission on a 3-0 vote July 12. City staff then proposed three changes, which Field said followed input from Statesboro-based private engineer Joey Maxwell, who has experience with townhome developments.

The proposed basic definition not only requires a minimum of three attached units – so that a townhome is more than a duplex – it also limits a townhouse building to a maximum of six units. When presented to the planning board, the limit was five homes per building. But the increase allows developers more leeway, since six-unit townhouse buildings are also common, Field said.

The ordinance will prohibit “stacked” townhouses. In other words, each home unit must have a ground floor. Two-story townhouses with a partial third story are common, but the upper floors may not be separate units.

Citywide standards

Citywide standards, which will apply to all townhouses regardless of zoning, include some limits on density. A minimum 8,000-square-foot site will be required for a townhouse building, and the maximum number of home units per acre will be 12.

Racicot noted that this is matches the density limit in Statesboro’s existing R-3 multifamily residential zones. But townhome development is being treated as a separate classification, neither multifamily nor detached single-family.

Although city officials have a stated goal of encouraging home ownership, the city cannot legally mandate through zoning that townhouses are owner-occupied.

“All that we can do when we zone is establish the development type, so we’re establishing a townhouse development,” Field said in an interview.  “But we cannot discern whether it should be rental or homeowner.”

However, a rule requiring each townhouse unit to have separate utilities – in other words, its own separate meters for water and electricity, and natural gas if used – is one way the city is attempting to promote these as owner-occupied homes.

“That, we hope, would encourage home ownership, because if it was all one meter on the building, that would be more like a rental type of format,” Field explained.

At least that is the case with apartments where utilities are included in rent, like some of those marketed to students.

Under the rules pending approval, each townhouse unit must have at least two parking spaces plus access to guest parking, and a minimum one-car garage is required. Sidewalks and driveways are required.

Another proposed requirement is that developers devote at least 5% of each site, including at least 100 square feet in any one spot, to “amenity space,” or outdoor open space for use by residents and their guests.  This can include playgrounds, pool areas, sports courts, community gardens, shared lawns or walkable areas, but not required sidewalks, buffers or stormwater ponds.

HOAs required

Each townhouse development will be required to have a homeowner association or equivalent organization responsible for maintaining the amenities space and other common areas. Another of the staff-recommended changes requires the homeowner association to assess each property owner an annual fee sufficient for that purpose.

The third staff amendment changes a requirement for “street trees.” Originally these were to be planted in front of each building on the private lots but withing 10 feet of the street right of way. The new version requires that the trees be planted in the right of way, between the curb and the property line, to allow more space for installation of utilities.

No more than three home units in a row can have identical facades.

The R-2 Townhouse Residential District would be available for zoning changes. But the ordinance package pending final approval also allows townhouse developments under the existing Planning Unit Development, or PUD, designation.

Two plans pending

In fact, the two zoning change requests that council postponed action on July 19 were from developers seeking PUD designations. Horizon Home Builders had requested a change from CR commercial retail and R-4 high-density residential for a 172-unit townhome development on almost 18 acres at 7130 Veterans Memorial Parkway. W&L Developers LLC  requested a change from R-10 single-family residential for a 48-unit townhome development  on 14 acres on S&S Railroad Bed Road.

During last week’s meeting, Penny asked that the council consider waiving the  requirement  for a second reading and  adopt the ordinance immediately, so that it could be applied to those projects on Aug.  2.

However, that would have required a unanimous vote. District 1 Councilman Phil Boyum, who was absent from the work session but present for the regular meeting, said he would  not waive the second-reading requirement.

But Boyum made the motion to acknowledge the first-reading of the ordinance as amended. District 4 Councilman John Riggs seconded, and the vote was 4-0, sending the ordinance forward to possible final approval when the council meets Tuesday, Aug. 2, at 9 a.m.