DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Growth comes with growing pains in DeKalb County. Census data showed the county added more than 3,500 people in the last year - and they need to live somewhere.
Will Johnston lives in a small cottage community in Clarkston called the Cottages on Vaughn. Each space is smaller than 1,000 square feet. With over 98 percent of DeKalb County land already developed, Johnston said the solution is to build up rather than build out.
"We can create usable, high-quality livable places in smaller footprints for a variety of housing groups," Johnston said. "To be able to build multiple units closer together on a smaller parcel of land, that gives us the ability to provide more accessible prices, attainable prices, and affordability and meet the spectrum needs of so many demographics looking for housing.”
Johnston said DeKalb County's current cottage court ordinance is not practical in meeting the needs of the projected growth in the county. He wants the county to change the ordinance and expand it to allow for a higher number of smaller homes to be built on limited land.
"Unfortunately, we've shot ourselves in the foot by freaking out about what we should be building versus what we could build," Johnston said. "How do we build better, how do we use density as a positive and allow us to actually utilize land better to create more walkable, connected communities?"
Johnston runs the nonprofit Microlife Institute and developed the Cottages on Vaughn. The project was completed in 2021, and Johnston said the nonprofit was working on other projects in South Atlanta and College Park. DeKalb County leaders like Commissioner Ted Terry, who represents District 6, said the cottages could serve as a model to explore other affordable housing options.
“Housing is a fundamental responsibility of local governments, whether it’s your city council or county commissioners," Terry said. "We have to take an 'all of the above approach.' We want to provide more workforce housing, more affordable housing, more sustainable housing, more opportunities for aging-in-place housing as well as more homeownership opportunities.”
Terry said changing the existing ordinance could incentivize more developers to build more affordable housing options in DeKalb County. He said the major pushback stems from those worried about disrupting single-family zoned housing and a fear that a higher concentration of smaller homes may drive down property values.
“Metro Atlanta is growing, DeKalb County is growing," Terry said. "If we don’t keep up with the housing supply, we’re going to see home prices and land value go up even more, individuals will be priced out. Property values are going up. Tax rates aren’t changing, and what we’re finding is particularly vulnerable seniors can’t afford to live in their own neighborhoods they’ve been living in for years.”
The DeKalb County Commission will discuss the issue at a zoning meeting Thursday. Terry expected a vote to come at some point before the end of the year.
Johnston is hopeful the measure can pass, paving the way to accommodate more growth.
"They're afraid of crowding," Johnston said. "But when you design in a way that allows people to experience each other, the way we're meant to, it gives them a better opportunity to connect as humans and having a high quality of life in their new home."