By Rebecca Gaunt

Accessory dwelling units (ADU) were the subject of discussion once again during Monday’s Kennesaw City Council work session.

Zoning administrator Darryl Simmons presented an updated draft of an ordinance his department created due to public interest in the matter, which has also been observed in surrounding municipalities. 

ADUs are secondary, independent residences located on the same lot as the primary residence. They are sometimes referred to as in-law suites or granny flats. They can be used for older or disabled family members to provide a larger degree of independence.

Simmons said the intent of the proposal is to provide alternative housing options for families with minimal changes to the existing character of established neighborhoods. ADUs would be permitted in residential areas zoned R-15, R-20, R-30, and R-40.

No rentals will be allowed.

The property owner is required to live in either the ADU or the primary residence and must provide at least one extra parking spot. There will also be setback and buffer requirements with regard to neighboring properties.

One of the concerns raised was that the buffer requirements as written could prevent neighboring homes from both building ADUs, a scenario council member Madelyn Orochena observed could lead to angry neighbors.

Council member Antonio Jones questioned the exclusion of R-10 zoned neighborhoods and townhomes from building ADUs.

Staff explained that it was due to the small lot size and the potential inability of first responders to access the property in case of emergency.

Another point of discussion was what the city needs to plan for given the aging infrastructure versus how many ADUs would realistically be built.

Council member Pat Ferris said he had largely received negative feedback on the idea from constituents.

“One thing I keep hearing is ‘oh, we need this. This is a cheap way to have a place for people to stay.’ Well you’re being defrauded on that. I would urge everybody here, do some research and find out what it’s like here in the real world,” he said.

Council member Anthony Gutierrez responded, “One of the issues you said that many people would be against it is because it would create too much density, while also saying that it’s expensive to build, which would prevent a lot of people from building it. So really, it’s not creating a density problem.”

HOAs would still have the ability to restrict such structures. 

Simmons recommended the city hold a town hall to gather public input as the next step. There are no proposed dates at this time.

View the full discussion on the city of Kennesaw website: City Council Work Session Meeting •     Agendas & Minutes • CivicClerk

Polling location change

The Ben Robertson Community Center will do double duty as a polling location in the November municipal election.

Kennesaw First Baptist Church will no longer serve as the 4A polling location, so it will be temporarily relocated for the remainder of 2025 to the community center which is already designated as the 3A location.

In a memo to the city manager, Cobb elections director Tate Fall wrote that given historical turnout for similar elections, the location can handle serving as both. 

The county elections office will send postcards to all affected voters and signs will be posted at the old location a week in advance to warn voters.

Public safety facility

Geo-Hydro Engineers submitted a $57,981 proposal to provide construction material testing and NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) compliance services for construction of the new safety facility on Moon Station Road. The proposal includes testing the soil compaction, concrete, steel and asphalt. storm runoff testing, inspection of erosion control measures and necessary reporting. 

Council member Pat Ferris questioned the decision not to put it out for bid since it is over the legal minimum requirement (thought to be $25,000 during the discussion but staff needed to confirm that number in the ordinance.) 

Mayor Derek Easterling and assistant city manager Marty Hughes explained that it was multiple individual tasks lumped together for a competitive price. 

“I’m not good with that,” Ferris said.

“We’re not either,” said Hughes. 

Public works director Ricky Stewart was directed to look into the legality prior to the next meeting.

Butler Creek project

The county and the Army Corps of Engineers requested a temporary construction easement from the city.

The project consists of placing reinforcements along the banks of Butler Creek to prevent erosion. The easement will allow access at the property on White Oak Court.

There has not yet been a time frame provided for the project.