Update: City Manager B.R. White announced at Monday's City Council meeting that the project had been withdrawn. No reason was given.

The number of lots in a proposed Martin Road subdivision that has drawn much opposition from area residents has been reduced from 90 to 61, a spokesman for the development said Friday, July 9.

“Our revised proposal may ease some concerns,” said Johnny Free, president of Cajun-Dawg Land Holdings LLC.

Cajun-Dawg is seeking to build the neighborhood at 4465 Martin Road between Quailwood and Martin’s Crossing subdivisions. The subdivision would be similar to Quailwood, with homes priced in the $450,000 and $600,000 range and sizes varying from 2,500 to 3,000 square feet, Free said.

The project was recommended for denial on June 21 by the Oakwood Planning Commission and is set to go before Oakwood City Council at 7 p.m. Monday, July 12, for a public hearing and final vote.

As part of its vote, the commission suggested a lower density, dropping the home total to 45, if Oakwood City Council ends up considering approval.

The commission also voted to recommend denying annexation and rezoning of two other, smaller properties that would connect the subdivision site to Oakwood. The actions drew applause from a large crowd opposing the proposed development.

“This project is approved in Hall County. I think it should stay in Hall County,” Commissioner Tony Millwood said.

The developer told the commission that under Hall County standards, only nine homes could be built on the property. The reason for the request before Oakwood was to ramp up the number to 90.

“I think the crowd is here because of the density,” Commissioner Roger Roesler said.

That drew a resounding “yes” from the audience, with one resident saying, “And the problems that come with that density.”

Opposition since the meeting hasn’t withered.

Area resident Gary McClung said in an email this week, “Local residents are fine with the nine houses currently approved for that property by the county. Residents are not fine with any number greater than nine … how totally ridiculous and out of touch with reality and regulations.”

And Darlene Long, a longtime outspoken Martin Road resident, said residents have banded together against the proposal.

“This application for annexation/rezoning is out of character and brings a negative impact to Hall County citizens,” she said.

In city paperwork on the project, Cajun-Dawg said it believed the subdivision “would provide needed residential housing for young families in the city, with easy access to the interstate and all the services the area now has to offer.”

Martin Road flows into Interstate 985’s Exit 14, which opened in January 2020. The corridor is otherwise growing rapidly, with apartments, retail and industrial warehouses under development around the interchange.