Lavonia approves Highway 59 annexation, clearing way for up to 50 townhomes

Lavonia City Council on July 1, 2024, approved the second readings to annex roughly five acres at 6919 Highway 59 and give the property R-3, Multi-Family Residential zoning. The request describes a development of single-unit townhomes, capped at 50 units and required to have a homeowners association; council minutes say both approval motions carried.

The decision moves the Highway 59 tract into Lavonia’s municipal land-use system and establishes the residential zoning framework for a potential townhome project. For nearby residents and the city, the stakes are not simply a boundary change: the action determines that multifamily residential use can proceed under the approved R-3 classification, while the 50-unit limit and HOA requirement define key terms attached to the request.

The matter first appeared on the planning and zoning board’s May 2024 agenda as a proposal, not an approval. That agenda called for a public hearing, board discussion and a vote on a recommendation to City Council concerning annexation and initial R-3 zoning for the approximately five-acre tract. It identified Craig and Janie Cleveland as owners and Caleb Musser as the applicant. The council’s July second-reading approvals show the request subsequently advanced beyond the planning-stage consideration.

The owners named on the planning agenda were Craig and Janie Cleveland, while Caleb Musser was listed as the applicant. The request presented to council was for single-unit townhomes rather than an unspecified multifamily project, according to the July minutes. City planners were assigned the earlier public-hearing and recommendation role; City Council made the final documented legislative decisions on the annexation and zoning second readings.

Annexation and R-3 zoning are completed council actions in the documented record: the July 1 minutes say each second-reading motion carried. The townhome concept, its maximum of 50 units and the HOA requirement are terms stated with the approved request. The record does not establish when construction would begin, whether a site plan or permits have been submitted or approved, or whether any homes have been built.

The next public developments would be any project-specific filings, permitting decisions or construction activity tied to the newly annexed and rezoned site. Those steps remain unresolved in the documented record, as do the project’s schedule, detailed design and whether the proposal will ultimately be built up to its 50-unit limit. The council vote settled the annexation and zoning question, but not the full shape or timing of development on Highway 59.