Cobb County needs 37,000 new homes built by 2035 to keep pace with regional job growth, according to a new housing strategy from the Atlanta Regional Commission.
The plan, called Housing Forward 2035, is the ARC's first attempt at a regionwide housing strategy. The Marietta Daily Journal first reported the Cobb-specific findings on Sept. 9. The ARC previewed the plan at the Atlanta Regional Housing Forum on Sept. 2.
Across the 11-county Atlanta region, the ARC projects substantial job and household growth by 2035, which the agency says will require 367,000 new homes regionwide to keep pace.
The study screened more than 1.7 million parcels and identified 106,000 vacant or underutilized properties across the region. Of those, 8,711 are in Cobb County. The ARC's goal is to place homes on 10 percent of the regional parcels by 2035.
The affordability gap
The numbers carry a sharp warning for lower-income households. Under current development trends, the market will produce only 25 percent of the housing demand for households earning below $55,000 a year, or 50 percent of the area median income (AMI). The region is already short about 200,000 affordable homes, according to Kristin Allin, the ARC's lead housing planner.
Closing that gap will not be easy. The ARC says affordable housing production for households earning less than $55,000 must quadruple by 2035. The agency also calls for preserving 104,000 affordable units at risk of loss to redevelopment.
About 70 percent of new jobs created by 2035 are expected to pay low-to-moderate wages. One in three households will earn less than $55,000 a year, according to the ARC's plan summary.
"It's our first plan that really looks across our 11 county boundaries to understand how we might approach housing with [a] regional lens," Allin told the Marietta Daily Journal.
Cobb revisits ADU proposal
The ARC report arrives as Cobb County prepares to revisit whether to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in unincorporated areas. The Board of Commissioners has scheduled three public hearings in October on proposed zoning code changes that would permit ADUs, also called granny flats or in-law suites, on single-family lots.
The county tried to pass ADU language in 2024, but the proposal was tabled indefinitely in November of that year after public backlash. Under the new proposal, ADUs would be capped at 850 square feet, limited to one story, restricted to one per lot and barred from use as short-term rentals. Acworth, Mableton, Marietta and Powder Springs already allow ADUs despite the countywide prohibition.
Commissioner Keli Gambrill said she is concerned ADUs would crowd neighborhoods without addressing affordability. Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said she does not plan to support the proposal, citing enforcement and setback concerns. No Cobb County officials have responded publicly to the ARC report's Cobb-specific housing targets.
Allin warned that without housing growth, the cost of living in the Atlanta area will continue to rise, leading to fewer jobs across the region. The ARC board is scheduled to vote on the final Housing Forward 2035 plan by the end of 2026.
The first ADU hearing is set for Oct. 6 at 9 a.m. before the Cobb Planning Commission at 100 Cherokee Street in Marietta. A Board of Commissioners hearing follows Oct. 13 at 9 a.m., with a final hearing and vote Oct. 27 at 7 p.m.
