The Montgomery County Commission has put the brakes on a proposed rezoning that would have opened the door for a sizable new housing development in the Woodlawn area-specifically, along Dotsonville Road. In a decisive 17-4 vote, commissioners rejected a request to rezone nearly 87 acres from agricultural use to single-family residential, effectively halting plans for a 158-home subdivision.
The land in question sits just south of the Dover Road and Dotsonville Road intersection, not far from York Road. The developer behind the proposal had pitched the project as an opportunity to bring affordable housing-complete with sidewalks-to the area. But the commission wasn’t sold, and concerns about infrastructure, traffic, and safety ultimately won out.
Jeff Tyndall, director of the Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission, laid out the scope of the project during the meeting. The plan called for 158 homes-just under the 160-home threshold that triggers stricter entrance requirements under county subdivision regulations. If a development includes 160 or more homes and only one entrance, that entrance has to be wider than the standard 26 feet, or a second access point must be added.
That technicality didn’t go unnoticed in earlier discussions. Several commissioners had already flagged the single proposed entrance as a red flag, especially given the current condition of Dotsonville Road. Safety was a central theme in the opposition, with many pointing out that the road simply isn’t equipped to handle the kind of traffic this development would generate.
Gary Kihara, representing the developer, tried to address those concerns ahead of the vote. He told commissioners that a second entrance had been added to the plans, along with a turning lane into the property.
He also cited a traffic study that, according to him, found no need for upgrades to Dotsonville Road. But those assurances didn’t carry enough weight to sway the majority.
Residents in the area made their voices heard, too. Anne Murtha, who lives nearby, pointed to infrastructure and traffic as major sticking points. “I don’t believe this road can accommodate 160 houses,” she said during the commission’s informal meeting earlier in the month.
Jenny Comley, another Woodlawn resident, raised concerns about overcrowded schools and worsening traffic. “There’s just too many people on Dotsonville Road already and this would not be helpful,” she told commissioners, urging them to consider the broader impact on road safety.
Commissioner Nathan Burkholder, who represents District 7 where the property is located, echoed those sentiments. He acknowledged that the area is already seeing a spike in home construction and said adding more traffic to a stretch of road that’s already under strain would be a mistake. “I really do think that’s a bad spot on Dotsonville Road for that amount of traffic,” he said.
Commissioner Jeremiah Walker didn’t mince words either. Without any road improvements on the table, he called the rezoning proposal “a horrible idea.”
In the end, only four commissioners supported the resolution-Joe Smith, Rickey Ray, Walker Woodruff, and Lisa Prichard. The remaining 17 voted it down, effectively shelving the development for now.
For the residents of Woodlawn and the surrounding area, the vote was a clear signal that infrastructure and traffic concerns will continue to be front and center in any future development talks. And for developers eyeing growth in Montgomery County, it’s a reminder that projects of this scale will need more than just blueprints-they’ll need buy-in from a community that’s watching closely.