EAST COBB — Expect the trees to be bulldozed on one of the last pieces of woodland in east Cobb within the next three weeks as developer Paul Corley moves forward with his 64-home development, a county official said Thursday.

Rob Hosack, the county’s community development director, gave an update on the development to a group of about 16 people during the East Cobb Civic Association’s Thursday night meeting at the East Cobb Government Service Center.

“We expect probably within the next two to three weeks they’ll have their permits in hand and they’ll be ready to start construction,” Hosack said. “They have estimated an 18- to 24-month build-out.”

Hosack said he expects the houses to range from the mid $350,000s to the mid $650,000s.

In February, by a 3-1 vote, with Chairman Tim Lee opposing and Southeast Commissioner Bob Ott absent, commissioners agreed to a zoning request that cleared the way for Corley to build 64 homes on the 33.2-acre property owned by the Mabry Family Trust at the northeast corner of Post Oak Tritt and Holly Springs roads.

“When it first came to us, they were requesting 88 homes,” said Northeast Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who represents the area. “Then they got down to 72. We approved 64.”

Corley, founder and CEO of Edward Andrews Homes, filed suit in Cobb Superior Court following the vote with the mediation process overseen by Senior Cobb Superior Court Judge Conley Ingram, Birrell said.

Hosack said Corley dropped the lawsuit last week and is now ready to build the development as approved by the Board of Commissioners.

Corley could have built 59 or 60 homes under the original zoning, Birrell said.

“There’s a lot of traffic and density in that area as it is, so to me the compromise to 64 lots is a win-win situation,” Birrell said. “They could get lots without getting any stipulations. Now they’re going to have 64 lots but a lot of stipulations and conditions that they’ll have to live by.”

One requirement is that any box turtles found on the site will be relocated to a nearby park.

East Cobb Civic Association board member Trish Steiner is satisfied with the outcome.

“That property has been dense woods for all these years,” Steiner said. “There are owls on there and all kinds of hawks and so many different kinds of birds, but the box turtles are an endangered species, so it was really good. I’m very pleased that we got all the stipulations that we wanted. We have 64 homes. We had asked for 60, we’ve got 64, but all of our stipulations are in play. He’s going to have to plant a hardwood tree in every front yard.”

Hosack said it might have put the county at risk in court to cap the number of homes at 60, but 64 was defensible.

“That’s why they settled,” Hosack said. “They weren’t going to win that lawsuit.”