BALDWIN, Ga. — The Baldwin City Council will take up first readings of Cook Construction’s proposed annexation and rezoning Tuesday night, following a work session where council members are expected to review the request and its timeline.
The work session begins at 6 p.m. at Baldwin Municipal Courtroom and will be immediately followed by the regular city council meeting. During the work session, council members will review the Cook Construction annexation and zoning proposal and discuss next steps. The council agenda later calls for first readings of ordinances tied to both the annexation and rezoning.
The Cook proposal involves property along Ga. 365 that was previously tied to a failed annexation effort in Cornelia. In Baldwin, the request has drawn public attention and concern, particularly over traffic and growth, and has been tabled once before as council members sought additional information and public input.
Tuesday’s meetings come as the city continues transitioning to a revised meeting structure approved by council last year. Mayor Doug Faust said the current charter ordinance under consideration is intended to provide flexibility in scheduling while maintaining a minimum requirement.
“The minimum that we have in this new charter ordinance is one meeting a month,” Faust said. “The changes are meant to allow the city to announce meeting dates in advance rather than being locked into a fixed number each month.”
Despite the shift to two meetings per month — typically a work session and a council meeting — both are scheduled back-to-back Tuesday night as the city works through several ongoing items.
In addition to Cook Construction, council members will discuss and consider approval of a preliminary plat for the Chitwood development. Faust said the item represents the next phase of a long-planned residential project.
“Developers previously submitted a master plan as part of the city’s zoning process,” Faust said. “They are now seeking approval to move forward with construction of 79 homes. The full Chitwood development is planned to include more than 500 homes.”
Other items on Tuesday’s agendas include a review of the city’s meeting schedule tied to the home rule charter amendment during the work session and consideration of a police department Flock camera agreement during the council meeting.
