A 15-unit workforce townhome development on Bells Ferry Road heads to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, July 21, despite a unanimous recommendation against it from the county Planning Commission.
The project, called Cottages of Marietta, would occupy a 1.4-acre site at 1471 Bells Ferry Road in unincorporated Cobb County near north Marietta, between Cobb Parkway North and Interstate 75. Applicant Dennis Tidwell is seeking a rezoning under case Z-12-2026 to build the complex, which the rezoning application describes as workforce housing for people who earn too much for subsidized programs but struggle to afford market-rate homes.
The Planning Commission heard the case and voted 4-0 to recommend denial, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. The exact reasons for that denial could not be confirmed from available records.
The board is not bound by the Planning Commission's recommendation. Commissioners can approve, deny, or modify the application at their discretion.
The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 21, in the Public Meeting Room on the second floor of the David Hankerson Building, 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta, according to the county's official calendar.
Why it matters locally
The site falls within unincorporated Cobb County, where the Board of Commissioners serves as the primary local government for land-use decisions. Any rezoning along the Bells Ferry corridor affects traffic, density, and property values for surrounding neighborhoods.
Affordable housing is a growing concern countywide. A 2025 survey by Kennesaw State University's A.L. Burruss Institute, which polled 4,121 metro Atlanta residents across 11 counties, found that 31.3% of Cobb County respondents identified affordable housing as the region's biggest problem, topping traffic at 25.2%. It was the first year the survey included housing affordability as an option.
The Cottages of Marietta proposal highlights that tension. The demand for mid-price housing is real, but density and neighborhood compatibility concerns drove the Planning Commission's unanimous denial recommendation.
How to weigh in
Residents can submit written comments online at cobbcounty.seamlessdocs.com/f/Publiccommentzoning (reference case Z-12-2026) or attend the hearing in person. The county zoning division received the site plan on April 2.
If the board tables the case, the next regular zoning hearing is scheduled for the third Tuesday of August.
