The DeKalb County Planning Commission adopted the county's first Comprehensive Housing Plan on Nov. 5, advancing a framework that targets 15,000 housing units by 2032.

The plan, which amends Chapter 01 of the county's Comprehensive Land Use Plan, lays out goals and strategies for addressing housing affordability and quality across all of unincorporated DeKalb. It now heads to the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners for final adoption at a Nov. 19 public hearing.

Closer to home for Brookhaven-area residents, the commission also approved a rezoning at 3430 N. Druid Hills Road. Applicant Vipin Bhimji, represented by Battle Law, P.C., sought to change the property from R-100 (Residential Medium Lot-100) to RSM (Small Lot Residential Mix) to allow single-family home development. The commission recommended approval per staff recommendation, according to county records. The case falls in Commission Districts 2 and 6.

County transportation staff noted that Willivee Drive, near the site, would require a right-of-way dedication of 27.5 feet from centerline, a five-foot landscape strip, a five-foot sidewalk and pedestrian-scale streetlights under the zoning and land development codes, according to the commission's agenda packet.

Other actions

The commission approved several other cases at the Nov. 5 meeting, held via Zoom with Planning Commission Chairperson Jon West presiding:

  • Rooted in Christ Academy daycare: Approved with conditions. Chiquita Stokes sought a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) for a child daycare serving up to six children at 6706 Princeton Park Trail, in the R-100 zoning district. Districts 4 and 7.
  • Safe Haven Transitional office: Approved with conditions. The nonprofit sought a SLUP for an office building at 2001 River Road in the Bouldercrest Overlay District. Districts 3 and 6.
  • Memorial Drive residential: Jared Samples won approval for a character-area change and rezoning at 5561-5567 Memorial Drive, shifting the property from C-1 (Local Commercial) to MR-2 (Medium Density Residential-2) for residential development. Districts 4 and 6.
  • Sign Code overhaul: A proposed text amendment to repeal and replace Chapter 21, the county's Sign Code, was deferred for a full cycle. The specific return date was not listed in the meeting record.
  • Cultivate Communities: A rezoning request for properties on Flat Shoals Parkway in Decatur from R-100 to RSM was also deferred for a full cycle. Planning staff had recommended denial, citing unresolved traffic, stormwater and flood-hazard concerns.

Two county-wide text amendments, one on residential entertainment and another on nuisance properties, were withdrawn without prejudice per staff recommendation.

Housing plan background

The Comprehensive Housing Plan has been in development since November 2025, The Champion Newspaper reported in September. DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Chief Housing Officer Alan Ferguson presented the plan's five goals at an Aug. 17 town hall: reducing homelessness, expanding quality rental housing, supporting homeownership, strengthening development partnerships and increasing resources for housing production and preservation.

A separate $155 million Housing Investment Bond Program, approved by the Board of Commissioners in July 2026, is projected to generate more than $1.2 billion in public and private investment and support the creation or preservation of more than 10,000 housing units, according to a county press release. Of that bond money, $30 million is allocated over three years for capital assets serving unhoused residents.

The Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the zoning cases from the Nov. 5 meeting on Thursday, Nov. 19, at 5:30 p.m. at the Government Services Center, 178 Sams St., Decatur. The hearing will also be available via the county website.