The City Council on Tuesday night approved rezoning to allow 27 new "old-looking" homes at the south end of the historic community of St. Elmo.
Developer John Coffelt said, "They will look like Craftsmen homes. Often people mistake our homes for older ones."
They will be built on a 4.6-acre former industrial site near the Georgia state line.
Mr. Coffelt said lots will be 40x130 and there will be 17-18 feet between the homes.
Sizes will vary between 1,600 and 2,000 square feet.
The location is in St. Elmo, but is just outside the historic district.
Some St. Elmo residents were opposed because the requested zoning was townhouse. John Bridger of the Planning Agency said that allowed smaller lot sizes. With that zoning, there could be about 10 more homes at the site than in R-1.
Councilman Erskine Oglesby, a resident of nearby Tennessee Avenue, said the developers had said from the start that the house would be detached.
He called the project "a great addition to the community."
Chelsey Breedy, president of the Community Association of Historic St. Elmo, was also in favor. She said it was replacing "a really ugly piece of land" with brand new homes.
Tim McDonald said R-1 would be more appropriate, and Carl Roberson said he got over 70 signers on a petition against townhome zoning.
Mr. Coffelt said an industrial uniform laundering facility was once at the site, but it burned. He said 80 percent of the site was still asphalt and concrete.