Instagram.com/cantonroadneighbors/

Welcome to CRN Website

CRN has closed Spring 2025 - our 20th Anniversary

The Perennial Garden on Canton Connector will only be maintained for a limited time and CRN will request that GDOT mow over it.

Canton Road Neighbors 2024 Year in Review

Spring 2025 Update

Link to CRN Garden Story 2010 to 2015

Link to Youtube short with garden photos

CRN Spring Update

Link

Fire on McAfee property 3/23/24 

Z-52 1054 Shallowford Rd was heard and held by Planning Commission until April PC

__________________

Final McAfee House Updates 2025

  https://www.instagram.com/p/DKBB0RGuAYe/?igsh=MTBuM2FjYWoxeTAycg== 

 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ79H1qu6Vg/?igsh=MXd1eGdzcjd3djVmOA== 

Link to Letter updating. May 28, 2025

__________________

Gritters Library ribbon cutting ceremony

Z-30 Quik Trip 4815 Canton Road has withdrawn their application.

QT Z 30 Video by CRN

cantonroadneighbors@gmail.com

Link to 2023 Year in Review

https://www.youtube.com/live/Yw32XaAl1ZA?feature=shared

PC zoning Z 30 starts 1 hr 57 minutes into video 

Z-30 QT PC recommended approval 4-0 BoC will hear  case on Dec 19

Z-32 Toll Bros. Ross Rd RR to RA 5 Approved

Z-40 1810 Shallowford Contd until Feb 6 2024

Z-52  R-20 to NRC 1854 Shallowford Heard and held until Feb 6 2024

December 5 PC

Z-60 GC to NRC for Gas Station NE side of Canton at Jamerson

Heard and held until Feb PC

Cobb Courier article on Quik Trip rezoning

Link to  YouTube Video of Planning Commission Meeting 10/3 

Z-30 starts at @ 1 hr 35 m

Link to Change Petition Cobb Please Deny Z-30 Quik Trip

October Zoning Update 10/3

Z-30 heard and held to Nov 7 by PC.

Z-32 heard and held to Nov 7 by PC

Link to Cobb MSPLOST presentation: Video and download

Calendar

The Noonday Creek Trail Extension Study is wrapping up. 

For the August 9 maps and presentation go to the link below.

Cobb DOT Trail Planning Noonday Creek

Zoning update to see photos: Instagram.com/cantonroadneighbors/

08/15 BoC 9 am

Z-23 Consent Agenda Approved 5-0

Z-24 SWI Investments for C Store and fuel sales 2546 Canton Rd:  BOC DELETE Z-24 to LRC,  No automotive uses; or fuel sales; Staff Comments and recommendations. Approved 5-0

Sept 5th Planning Commission:

Z-30 Quiktrip 

SW Corner Jamerson and Canton

Heard and held by PC until October meeting.

Z-32 Toll 

R-20 to RA-6

105 Single family detached homes Sandy Plains and Ross Rd at Scufflegrit

Continued until October

October

Z-40 1018 Shallowford Rd R-20 to LI for RV and boat storage

Hi everyone,

Most of us like happy endings and I have one for you. Most of you in the neighborhoods on Canton that are near Liberty Hill and Westerly Way will recall the very contentious zoning case OB 3 for the vacant property at 2320 Canton, across from Racetrac. This took place last Spring in 2022, when an applicant wanted to open an oil change franchise. The residents closest to the property did not want to see another automotive business just across from a tire store which also offers oil change. Residents further away were OK with it. The Board of Commissioners denied the application without much discussion since the District Commissioner didn’t want another automotive use there either.

Then things got a little testy. It was tough for the owner of the property who wanted to sell, and for the Broker who wanted his commission. They were not pleased with me.

Now, the happy ending, one year later. In April, the long-vacant property at 2320 was purchased by Mr. Ernie Geyer, who is in the restaurant business. His franchises include Lucky’s Burger and Brew and Thumbs Up Diner. We are getting a Thumbs Up Diner which will serve breakfast and lunch from 7 am until 3 pm, daily. There will be improvements to the property but the original building will be repurposed since it has a “diner look”. Mr. Geyer projects the diner will open by the end of the year.

What a nice surprise, and it is a win win for the previous owner, the Broker, and for the community.We have not had a place to get together over coffee and a sandwich since Rib Ranch closed years ago.

More details on this later.

​

There is a zoning coming up on August 1 at the Planning Commission meeting. It is Z-24 which is at 2546 Canton Rd. SWI Investments, Inc wants to build a convenience store with fuel sales on the vacant lot zoned R-20 residential on the east side of Canton, south of Rosedale and north of Bay Breeze. This is not an appropriate use for the site which backs up to a home. The applicant should be given a NRC or LRC Zoning, but needs to bring back a less intense, more neighborhood friendly use. The community is working on this now.

Finally, the historic McAfee House may be out of the headlines, but a group of concerned citizens are still working to preserve the house on site at 2595 Bells Ferry Rd, where it was built in 1840.

That’s all for now,

Carol Brown, MA, MRP Canton Road Neighbors, Inc.

 During the Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War in 1864, there were skirmishes between the Union and Confederate Cavalry along Noonday Creek, Bells Ferry and Canton Road. The McAfee House and farm were used as a resource and headquarters by both Union Brig.General Kenner Garrard and by Major General Joseph Wheeler CSA at different times between June 9 and July 3, 1864.

Today it is a two acre site in Town Center, NE Cobb County. The owners have applied to rezone it for commercial use. The house can be saved by moving it off site and selling it to a private owner.

We believe that the Historic House should remain on the site on Bells Ferry where it was built in 1840.

It can be restored for limited use as a museum. Preserve our heritage. Save the Robert McAfee House and grounds on Bells Ferry Road!

Happy Valentine's Day! 

There are a few things to like in the zoning lineup for Canton Road this month.

First, Z-77 Lidl (rhymes with needle) food market was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission on Consent Agenda (no one was opposed). It is located at the SW corner of Canton and Piedmont at the site of the vacant Rite-Aid. That will be demolished and Lidl will build a new facility. Cobb DOT is recommending a deceleration lane on Piedmont which will terminate in a dedicated right turn lane from Piedmont to Canton southbound. Lidl has agreed to contribute towards the cost of the decel lane. The right turn lane would be funded by SPLOST.

The case will be on Consent Agenda for the 02/21/23 BoC zoning meeting.

Also on Consent for the BoC is Z-78 Splash Zone Car Wash at the SE corner of Canton and Shallowford. The applicants will construct an attractive new building design, reopen Old Shallowford Road and bring it up to Cobb DOT Standards. Access on Canton and Shallowford Rd will be right in right out. Local residents are satisfied with the new site plan and improved building design.

Looming in April is Z-8, in which the historic 123 year old house at the NW Corner of Bells Ferry and Barrett Parkway is asking to rezone to NRC – for a car wash. At minimum the house should be disassembled and moved to another location. Preferably at the applicant’s cost. Could the house be relocated to Skip Wells Park? How about the 61 acres of open space Cobb County now owns behind Laura Lake? Or even as a focal point on the 175 acre Beazer development.

The 175 acres is now in the City of Marietta. The long process of negotiation with the City and County in the plan review process is underway. We are hopeful that the HOA to the north will be well buffered from the planned entrance road. We are tracking that issue.

There was an interesting article in last Sunday’s AJC: Breaking down Atlanta’s top bottlenecks www.ajc.com/atlanta-traffic/

Here is a link https://youtube.com/shorts/

to the YouTube video I shot riding a Cobblinc Rapid 10 on the I-75 HOV lanes southbound. We passed a lot of parked 18 wheelers and other vehicles who were on the general southbound lanes below. Transit can and does work, even in the form of a Rapid 10 bus with only a few stops, using the HOV lanes to get to Midtown. What is needed is better awareness of the service which starts at Frey/Campus Loop KSU and picks up passengers at the (free) George Busbee Park and ride. Cobb County will be asking voters to approve a Mobility SPLOST next year. There are things that could be done to improve the existing service – adding security at the current Marietta Transfer Center, adding crosswalks across from bus stops and more advertising to make the public aware of the value of the service. Given the daily snarl of traffic on I-75, the wrecks, the cost of parking and of gas, and the stress of just getting to the destination, riding the Rapid 10 or SRTA Express is a bargain and a breeze.

That’s all folks. Enjoy Valentine’s Day!

Carol Brown, MRP, Canton Road Neighbors, Inc.

Happy Lunar New Year!

2023 has lurched off to a rocky start for many folks. The undesirable outcome of the huge

175 acre rezoning and annexation on Bells Ferry Road was a disappointment for everyone except

Beazer, the Montgomery heirs, the zoning attorney and the 3 Marietta Council Member/Realtors who voted to approve it. Thanks to the 411 people who signed the petition opposing the rezoning.

Hopefully the Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year, tomorrow, will give us a 2nd chance for a better start. Zoning cases coming up on February 7th before the Planning Commission

include Z-77 LIDL food market at the SW corner of Piedmont and Canton. This is expected to be on Consent Agenda, with no opposition. Also to be heard is Z-78 Splash Zone Car Wash application which was held in December. This is to be located at the SE intersection of Canton and Shallowford.

There has been a meeting with the applicants and the community and we believe that a good agreement has been reached. The applicants have presented a much more modern and well designed building and will rebuild the eastern half of the Old Shallowford Rd. which has been closed for years.

All access to the Car Wash will be right in right out on Canton and right in right out on Shallowford.

It will be a state of the art self serve facility.

Both of these rezoning applications will improve the two vacant sites they will occupy. The former Rite-Aid site will be demolished for a new Lidl food market. QuickTrip is looking at a potential site on Canton Road at the NE Piedmont Canton intersection. This is a bad idea at a terrible location. The Canton Road is over served by gas stations now and another one isn’t needed, definitely not there.

The large Bells Ferry property issues aren’t quite resolved yet. The rezoning and annexation don’t become final until 30 days after the January 11th approval or on about February 10. There is a related issue going on: Beazer is planning to use the 27 acre Laura Lake for its stormwater runoff, rather than build its own stormwater detention facility. There was probably a tentative discussion with Cobb Stormwater at the time the application was with the County. Now that the City has annexed the large tract and rezoned the 175 acres for 592 homes, a new discussion is or will be taking place. Currently there is no written or verbal agreement between Beazer and Cobb County to use the Laura Lake (and Dam) for stormwater detention for the huge development. Beazer stated in an interview that the development hinged on using the lake. This gives Cobb County one more chance to take charge of a large rushed zoning process with very little discussion from the City or Beazer.

Here is a link to the Marietta Council Meeting on January 11th and the Z 2022-29 Beazer rezoning.

The zoning hearing starts at 35 minutes into the video, the community response at 58 minutes and the annexation starts at 1 hr 31 min

https://marietta.granicus.com/player/clip/2863?view_id=7&redirect=true&h=defa4f6687c706711e2263e89b074220

Below is a link to the MDJ article about the zoning approval

https://news.yahoo.com/marietta-oks-sprawling-600-home-233400137.html

The entire annexation and rezoning process was rushed and forceful. Cobb does NOT owe the City or Beazer any favors. I hope the county will play hardball and require Beazer to build their own stormwater detention facilities or Cobb should demand some meaningful exactions from the developer.

To support a get-tough approach from the County, I am launching another petition: It would be great to get 400 signers on this petition to Cobb County!

Cobb County: Tell Beazer no Dam/Lake for development! https://chng.it/nS55FLzhmn

On that note, wishing you all a Happy Lunar New Year and a more successful 2nd attempt at 2023, “Year of the Rabbit”.

Carol Brown, MRP Canton Road Neighbors, Inc. www.cantonroadneighbors.org

Z-2022-29 Beazer Homes LLC  Appproved by Council Video below:

https://marietta.granicus.com/player/clip/2863?view_id=7&redirect=true&h=defa4f6687c706711e2263e89b074220

Zoning starts 35:35

Community Response 58:00

Annexation starts 1:31:00

Here is a link to the MDJ article  picked up by Yahoo

https://news.yahoo.com/marietta-oks-sprawling-600-home-233400137.html

 At the time of the hearing our petition had 392  signatures and we now have 411.  Thank you all for signing and for your comments.  Thanks especially to those who attended the meeting.

The speakers were Carol Brown (Canton Road Neighbors), Tullan Avard (Bells Ferry Civic), John McColl, resident of subdivision adjacent to the Montgomery property on the north side, Carla Jenkins, resident of Barrington next to Montgomery property on the south side.

The Council members appear to have made up their minds to approve the application well before the Council meeting so the hearing was a formality required by Georgia Zoning Procedures Act. There were three parts to the application: the rezoning, the annexation and the land use change.  We spoke in opposition to all three.  

The approval will not be final until 30 days after the hearing or on February 10,  There is the possibility of an appeal to Cobb Superior Court.  This could further tie up the Beazer zoning.  There may be some potentially large roadblocks in the near future in plan review and with storm water management issues  involving the County-owned Laura Lake and dam, which will be restored and rebuilt. The land is tied up in a Conservation easement until the end of 2023 and that limits what could take place during that period.

Thank you for taking the time to attend, send email and sign the petition. You did your bit. Unfortunately when it comes to local government in the City or County, your wishes fall on deaf ears too often.

It is important to keep engaging in these issues and when election rolls around, vote the unresponsive politicians out. 

If new developments occur I will reopen the petition and send out an update.

Please stay in touch and stay active. you can find us at www.cantonroadneighbors.org   and at www.bellsferrycivic.org

CRN email is cantonroadneighbors@gmail.com

Carol Brown

Canton Road Neighbors, Inc.

Link to Petition

https://chng.it/ynjxH7hqGj

01/04/22 Challenge to Cobb Commission map heard today in Superior Court

Clarification  below in red.

Jason Thompson, attorney for Plaintiff Larry Savage, asked the Court for a Temporary Restraining Order, or Interlocutory Injunction in order to maintain the status quo. This would keep the redistricting map drawn by the GOP, approved by the General Assembly(HB 1154) and signed off by Governor Kemp, in effect. That is the map which drew District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson out of her district two years early.  Savage argues that he and other citizens are facing imminent and ongoing harm due to confusion about which commission district he lives in and which commissioner represents him. The TRO is meant to stop the County map from being utilized or recognized. That would force a Special Election to fill the vacant seat in District 2.

Cobb County voted last October 3-2 to accept the redistricting map, shown below, drawn by the majority Democrat Cobb Legislative delegation (HB 1256). This map was never voted on by the Georgia General Assembly, in a break from precedent. That map made fairly balanced divisions between the four Commission Districts and did not draw any Commissioner out of her district. After voting to accept that map under Home Rule, the county then filed the map with the State of Georgia, 

The County cites constitutional authority under Home Rule, which is granted by the State of Georgia,  to redistrict.  Home Rule grants powers but also excludes some actions.The county argues that redistricting does not fall under an excluded use. Attorney for the County, Elizabeth Monyak, said that it was the County and Commissioner Richardson who would suffer irreparable harm if a TRO was granted before the merits of the case were heard in court.  

The suit was originally brought against the Cobb Board of Elections, which was not the correct party. Attorney Monyak said that this error in itself could be grounds to dismiss.  Dan White, attorney for the Cobb BOE said that the BOE and Director Eveler could be dismissed from the litigation as their mandate was to carry out the election law of the State and County, and not to determine which maps should be recognized.  

Both maps went into effect on January 1 2023, and it was presumed that a Special Election would be needed for the now-vacant District 2 since Richardson still resided in the (previous) district.  Until we learn what the Court order will be regarding the TRO, it appears that both maps are temporarily in effect and Commissioner Richardson still represents District 2.  If the TRO is not granted, the case will be heard fairly soon based on comments from Judge Harris.  It is also likely that any decision of the court would be appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court.

I am not an attorney, having had only a handful of law courses as part of my graduate degrees. I did not Shepardize any of the above.

What seems apparent on its face can be interpreted and argued at great length by attorneys on both sides of an issue.

Carol Brown, Canton Road Neighbors, Inc.

Happy New Year 2023 - and a glance back at 2022

Most of the action in Northeast and Southeast Cobb will be hitting in early January. That would be the huge Z-2022-29 Beazer Homes rezoning and  annexation request into the City of Marietta (January 11th City Council) and the even bigger legal challenge to Cobb County’s choice of redrawn commission district maps. Both these stories have been and will continue to be in the news, reported with varying degrees of detail.

Quick takeaways from the Beazer application: Cobb County objects to the annexation; largely based on inappropriate density and the impact on infrastructure. They sent a new letter to City Council on December 22 reaffirming their opposition to the annexation. The City doesn’t appear to like the site plan for similar reasons. The public doesn’t care for the application because dammit, the public is already fed up with congested traffic, street racing at night, stormwater runoff and with living in an area that used to have greenspace but is now a concrete jungle. Will Beazer submit a new plan? Will Council listen to reason, the County and the public and slow down the process? We will know soon enough. 175 acres, 596 homes, 4,600 vehicle trips per week

The legal issues with the Commission maps were shaped after the Census report. The redistricting process began normally enough with the Cobb legislative delegation redrawing the districts to accommodate the population growth. The GOP, eyeing the shift in demographics, realized that a 3rd Commission District (NE Cobb) might be competitive enough to elect another Democrat to the County Commission. Breaking with precedent, the Georgia General Assembly ignored the map drawn by the majority Democratic Cobb Legislative delegation and produced a gerrymandered map which guaranteed that the current GOP District 3 Commissioner would be reelected. They then drew the duly elected Democratic District 2 Commissioner out of her seat two years early. That is without precedent.

The General Assembly approved the GOP-drawn maps and Governor Kemp signed off on them. The primary and general elections were held, with voters in the NEW districts voting for the future commissioner but some voters in the current districts 2 and 3 were shut out of that opportunity. Belatedly, the Cobb BoC voted to invoke home rule, normally strong in GA, meaning that great deference is paid to the wishes of the local government. Except when it isn’t. The BoC voted 3-2 to recognize the Democratically drawn map, in an effort to preserve District 2 Jerica Richardson’s seat.

Birrell is the Commissioner-elect for the new District 3 tomorrow morning and Ms. Richardson will be out of a job. Longtime activist Larry Savage in District 2 (uh, now District 3) filed a legal challenge to the County invoking home rule to recognize a map not signed off on by Governor Kemp. The GOP states that recognizing the earlier map is not only illegal but chaos would result if that were to take place. It is pretty chaotic now, with a duly elected Commissioner drawn out early to accommodate another Commissioner’s wish for a 4th term. Added to the legal quandary is the matter of a Georgia Statute which states that the General Assembly can not lengthen or shorten the term of a local official without a public referendum.

Universal Citation: GA Code § 1-3-11 (2021)

No office to which a person has been elected shall be abolished nor the term of the office shortened or lengthened by local or special Act during the term for which such person was elected unless the same shall be approved by the people of the jurisdiction affected in a referendum on the question. (Code 1981, §1-3-11, enacted by Ga. L. 1983, p. 685, § 1.) In other words, drawing Ms. Richardson out of her seat two years early appears to violate the law of Georgia. That precedent has also created chaos. The first court hearing is scheduled on Wednesday, January 4. Commissioner Birrell has canceled her public swearing in ceremony due to the conflict in dates, and will be taking the oath of office in private.

 The good news for the area is that after it’s February zoning case Z-77 is approved, Lidl Food Market will be opening a new grocery store at the SW corner of Canton and Piedmont. They plan to demolish the old Rite-Aid and build a new store. This is anticipated to be approved on Consent Agenda.

Wrapping up 2022

There were 18 zoning cases with only a handful making a significant impact on the area. The most important, LIDL Z-77 was continued to 2023 for reasons related to notification, but is expected to be approved on Consent Agenda.

The other rezoning case which made a nice improvement was Z-18 at 910 Liberty Hill Rd. A large semi-industrial site cleaned up nicely. Now neighbors near it and passing by have a different vista. Before: a 12 foot tall purple and green inflatable gorilla and other “jumpies”, auto storage, landscape materials dumped on the back lot and a large loading dock, all enclosed by an 8’ chain link fence with concertina wire on top.

The rezoning stipulated repainting of the large metal building, clean up of the lot, removal of the auto storage, new wood privacy fencing around the perimeter with landscaping in the right of way in front.

What a difference one zoning case can make. Thanks to the owner for agreeing to these improvements.

The other important activity centered on the election for Commissioner in District 3 NE Cobb. Commissioner Birrell ran for a 4th term in a newly drawn district and faced challenger Christine Triebsch. Triebsch ran a strong race and performed well in neighborhoods along Bells Ferry and Canton Road. There were no debates between Triebsch and Birrell and overall it was a civil race but an uphill battle for Triebsch. Birrell was reelected, in the new Commission District which now extends well into SE Cobb by the Chattahoochee River.

I will keep you updated on the progress of the Beazer rezoning in the City in January. We may put out a new call for signatures on the Change Petition and attendance at the evening meeting in the City on January 11th unless the zoning is continued.

Thanks to all of you who engaged in planning and zoning processes this year, you helped to bring about improvements to the area and fight off undesirable impacts. Thanks especially to the Neighborhood Advisory Members of CRN and our Board for their constant support of my advocacy efforts. I could not do this without their help. Thanks also to Bells Ferry Civic Association for working with CRN.

Best wishes to all of you for a Happy and prosperous New Year!

Carol Brown, M.R.P. Canton Road Neighbors, Inc. www.cantonroadneighbors.org

DCA FAILS to get Arbitration Panel

We learned today that the Georgia Department of Community Affairs  has failed to convene an arbitration panel within the required 15 day time frame.  The arbitration fails. 

Unless there is further action by Cobb County the Zoning case and annexation is scheduled to go before the Marietta City Council on January 11, 2023.

The public is still free to express their concern and opposition to City Council  leading up to and on the 11th of January

We  will publish an update tomorrow, Friday the 16th to advise you if there is any further action by the County.

Carol Brown

The 175 acre Beazer Homes LLC rezoning and annexation (Z2022-29) has been Tabled (continued) by the City of Marietta.  It will not be heard at the Wednesday December 14th City Council Meeting.  Cobb County filed an objection to the annexation and Council may not hear or act on the case until the dispute is resolved.  At the present, the arbitration process is just getting underway. The DCA is having difficulty in putting together a panel.

Maybe this is an opportunity for Beazer to submit a new, better site design which is less intense and preserves more usable open space.

Here is a wish for Santa- how about Cobb County acquiring at least 30 or 40 acres of the property for passive green space to add to the 61 acres that they now own on the west side of the lake. 

These are ideas worth pursuing and now we have a little time.  This is the last large property on the east side of I-75 and it has a lot of potential.

It never hurts to explore ideas and to dream of what might be possible.  That is how the public acquired Hyde Farm, Bullard Farm and the Tritt property.

We owe it to City and County residents and especially young people to at least make the effort.

As always, updates will be made as needed. 

Seasons Greetings!

Carol Brown, MRP, Canton Road Neighbors, Inc.

Here is a link to the DCA Arbitration process:

https://www.dca.ga.gov/local-government-assistance/planning/intergovernmental-coordination/arbitration-annexation-disputes

The City Council may not act on the Zoning and Annexation until the objection is resolved.  Given the short time frame until next Wednesday and the fact that the process is JUST getting underway it is unlikely although maybe not impossible that this would be wrapped up in time for the next Council meeting.

But if you would rather hear a legal opinion,  here is a link to the video of the Planning Commission Meeting.  It started at 26:40  minutes into the video.  Attorney Doug Haney is advising the Planning Commission on the pending county objection and that they, the city planning commission can go ahead and recommend an action, but it may be delayed before getting to the City Council.  In the end, they deadlocked in their votes, 3-3 on rezoning, 3-3 on annexation and 3-3 on land use change. How soon City Council will be able to hear it is another issue.

https://marietta.granicus.com/player/clip/2838?view_id=7&redirect=true&h=b77ce0d94f3e54375623f62e7dbd27dd6

Hopefully that explains the process that must be followed. How quickly it will happen we don't know yet. But I will stay on top of if and will update you with any new information.

Carol Brown, M.R.P.  Canton Road Neighbors, Inc.

Thanks to the 232 (and counting) signers of this petition.  

https://chng.it/NtvSpWCP

 The Marietta City Planning Commission tied tonight on 3 votes; Z-29 rezoning, the annexation and land use change.  This moves it to City Council with no recommendation.

The Council hearing is December 14 HOWEVER, this has gone to arbitration because Cobb County objects to the annexation.  This may very well slow the process.  Will keep you updated. 

Thanks also to Bells Ferry Civic Association, Briarfield Crossing, Canton Road Neighbors and Chimney Cottages HOA for working together to address this massive zoning that is/was being rushed through at Christmas time.

 cantonroadneighbors.org              https://twitter.com/@cantonrdnaybors   

https://www.yahoo.com/now/developer-turns-city-annexation-rezoning-040100007.html

OpEd by Bells Ferry Civic Association on development in Town Center RAC

https://youtu.be/jg8euDrCNmg

Canton Road Neighbors 

December 1 Brief

LIDL Z-77 will be continued until February due to issues with required mail notification. This should not affect the outcome. No zoning cases are heard in January.

A letter of concern has been submitted to the City of Marietta on Z 2022-29 Beazer Homes LLC on Bells Ferry. The letter was signed by CRN, Bells Ferry Civic Association, Briarfield Xing HOA andresidents of Huntington Woods. A petition has been created for concerned residents to sign if they are unable to attend the December 6th 6 pm meeting.

Here is a link to the Change petition.

https://chng.it/NtvSpWCP

12/6 Calendar

Zoning County PC 9 am:

Z-78 Car Wash HELD

SLUP 18 U-Haul for storage

Zoning City PC 6 pm:

Z 2022-29 Beazer Homes LLC

Election Day Vote!!!

Unified Development Code Public Open House 6:30- 8:30 pm

Switzer Library

December 14

Noonday Creek Trail Study 5:30-7:00 Vanderlande Chastain Meadows Pkwy.

Cobb County Survey

https://selfserve.decipherinc.com/survey/selfserve/fdf/221026?list=0&l=2#?

November 

28th Update

Hello everyone,

Canton Road and Bells Ferry are going to see some important zoning cases take place in December.  Not exactly festive, but one of them really merits your attention and participation – if only to send an email or sign a petition.

The pleasant news first:  Z-77, Lidl Food Market will be building on the corner of Canton and Piedmont, across from Covenant Presbyterian Church.  It will need to rezone, and the case will be heard on December 6 by the Planning Commission and December 20 by the Board of Commissioners.

This does not appear to be controversial with area residents, in fact, many of us are happy to see Lidl build a new grocery store at the site of the old Rite Aid which has been vacant for years. A few of us will attend a small meeting at Gritters Library this week to hear the presentation.  I expect this could be on Consent Agenda.

Across the street, Special Land  Use Permit 18, U-Haul Company plans to build a 3 story self-storage building on 4 acres at Piedmont Village, where a U-haul is currently located.  U-Haul is the parent company of Repwest which has owned the 21 acre commercial site since 2014.  They plan to continue to lease the retail space to current tenants.

There is an application for a car wash, Z-78, Jaraysi, at the challenging corner of Canton and Shallowford.  Nearby residents of  Highland Trace are concerned about adding more traffic to this busy intersection.

We are pleased, by the way, at the landscaping installed at 910 Liberty Hill Rd , owned by Harris Tessler. Looks great!

And now the not so great news- The property at 2320 Canton which had an oil change application denied in March, turned up a potential buyer. The interested party wanted to build a package store but  lost his contract to purchase.  We are not sure why but the Realtor signs are back up at 2320 and now, they are up across the street on the Letsos property.  Is there another oil change application in our future early next year? 

The issue which all residents in the Bells Ferry, Turner Rd., Kurtz, Cajun, Canton Road and Piedmont Road area should be watching is the major rezoning and annexation of the Montgomery property (168 acres) on Bells Ferry at Laura Lake Dr.  Cobb County has formally objected to the annexation based on Density which in turn brings up concerns about other issues, namely traffic volume on the narrow two lane, congested Bells Ferry Rd. The plan is for 596 homes.  In 2020 the Montgomery heirs deeded Laura Lake and the dam, 26 acres, and an additional 61 acres to Cobb County.  The County will be responsible for rebuilding the dam and will use the lake as a regional detention facility. The 61 acres is to be left undeveloped and used at some point for passive greenspace open to the public. The northern boundary of the site will be across from Skip Wells Park and the southern end will wrap around Laurel Hills apartments.  Its big.  The Marietta Planning Commission is scheduled to hear this case on December 6th at 6 pm.  Because the County has objected to the annexation, it will delay a Council hearing.  It is still possible that the Planning Commission hearing may ask the applicant Beazer to table the case and submit a new site plan.  We will let you know. If the case goes ahead we will be asking each of you and your neighbors to get involved in opposing this case, as presented.

 I am pasting the City’s very critical review of the plan below. Please read it.  Of particular concern is the section that talks about relieving traffic by using Kurtz and Cajun to get to Canton Road and Piedmont.  “The wider street network: the development could be connected via Laura Lake Road, which ultimately connects to Canton Road and to Piedmont Road (via Cajun Drive). This could potentially relieve traffic proposed to funnel only onto Bells Ferry Road.”

 A link to the complete City Staff Analysis and Traffic Study is here under December 6 Hearings

https://www.mariettaga.gov/1439/Upcoming-Hearings

ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION

Beazer Homes is requesting to rezone 175.028 acres of property from RA-8 (Single-Family Residential - Attached) and R-20 (Cobb County – Single Family Residential, 20,000 sq.ft) to develop 596 homes on forested property containing streams and wetlands, located

between I-575 and Bells Ferry. The bulk of the land (168.4 acres) is located in unincorporated Cobb County (zoned R-20), which they wish to annex into the City; a single parcel – a 6.6 acre-tract – is primarily occupied by high-voltage overhead powerlines and is already located in the city (zoned RA-8).

  Beazer Homes is requesting that the 175-acre subject property be rezoned to PRD-SF to accommodate 596 units (303 detached homes, 198 attached townhomes, and 95 age-restricted units) at a density of 3.4 units/acre. The requested PRD-SF zoning district allows

the greatest flexibility to create a community based traditional neighborhood design. PRD-SF zoning is intended to allow the development of single-family attached and detached

dwellings within a site that incorporates the following elements:

• “natural resource conservation”

• “neighborhood cohesiveness”

• “[maximized] open space”

• “pedestrian scale”

• “protection of sensitive environmental, historic, or aesthetic resources”

• “site amenities such as parks, open space, walking trails, etc.”

• “[reduction] of vehicle trips”

• “[enhancement] of the surrounding area”

Review of the development plans revealed the following, however, which do not satisfy the intention of PRD-SF zoning:

• “Open space” appears to have been created simply by “space leftover after planning” rather than intentionally designed.

• Natural resources have not played a prominent role in shaping the development proposal.

• The only identified historic resource – a cemetery – is a roadside monument, given just enough space to be preserved in the midst of a row of 27 houses.

• The preponderance of dead-ends, cul-de-sacs, and extremely long, straight roadways does not create a welcoming environment for the pedestrian, does not include traffic calming, nor does it meet the goal of reducing vehicle trips.

• A pool amenity area is featured in the plan but falls short of meeting the recreation amenities required by code.

• The development does not connect to the surrounding area except for at two points on Bells Ferry.

An active recreation feature is required by PRD-SF zoning, which the pool would satisfy. However, code mandates that recreation features be within 300 feet of 75% of homes. The only proposed recreation amenity – a pool – does not in itself meet code requirements.

A recreation area of 12 acres is required but only 6.8 acres is shown on the plan.

Transportation

A traffic study was submitted for Staff review on November 16, 2022, and the Public Works Transportation Division is in the process of evaluating that report. That evaluation will be reported at a later date due to advertising deadlines.

Based upon the plans that were timely submitted, Engineering comments are as follows:

• Access streets should align with existing alignments across Bells Ferry. A traffic study will be needed to evaluate dedicated turn lanes, accel/decel lanes, signal and or roundabout warrants. Cost sharing for right of way improvements may be required.

• Staff has serious concerns for the lack of points of access and the “drag strip style” long straight streets (done to increase lot yield) versus incorporating meandering streets that offer traffic calming and aesthetic appeal. Long straight street segments without sinuosity will require future traffic calming at the City's expense, using SPLOST funds, should the proposed layout be approved.

• Roundabout shown on the plan to be evaluated for Box truck, Fire truck and Sanitation truck sized vehicles.

• Applicant cites topographical constraints as a factor in refusing to make logical street interconnections.

• The access points on Bells Ferry would most likely need to be roundabouts or signalized (waiting on traffic study).

• Other improvements may be needed to Bells Ferry to accommodate the increased trips generated (waiting on traffic study).

• Bells Ferry is an existing CCT bus route, but the application is almost silent on alternative modes of transportation. At a meeting with the applicant, they seemed opposed to sidewalks on both sides of the streets interior to the project, which implies they do not intend to make the community walkable.

Gross Trips (Driveway Volumes)  4,622

Fire •This project represents significant impact to the existing fire district and supporting services. A fire station may need to be added to serve these new customers.

If cul-de-sacs are to be employed, the minimum diameter must be 96 feet to accommodate fire apparatus turn-around. However, if streets are connected, no turn-around points would be needed.

A 3 rd point of access is necessary, preferably as full access for the community, but minimally as access for emergency vehicles.

Sanitation

• The City will need to add one (1) new dedicated sanitation route at an estimated cost to the City of $500,000.

The City is waiting on comments from the schools, and also Historic Preservation.

This is the largest and most significant development in NE Cobb and the City since the Sprayberry Crossing Mixed use development.  Z-29 is greenfield with environmentally sensitive areas, streams, potentially some Civil War trenches, inadequate road capacity and a poor site design. It will affect many people in neighborhoods near it. It will be critical to get it right.

Finally, with the Christmas season approaching there will be many great activities including concerts available to the public. If you love music, I encourage you to visit the Atlanta Symphony website www.aso.org to check out the lineup.  For families with young children and seniors who aren’t thrilled with a drive downtown for the evening concerts, the ASO offers Sunday 3:00 pm concerts and at least one Saturday 3:00 pm concert.  There is also a great option to avoid driving I-75 and parking: Cobblinc Rapid 10.  Residents in this area can drive to the Busbee Park and Ride near Big Shanty and the KSU Stadium, park at no charge and hop on the Rapid 10. It’s a one hour ride and it drops you off just across the street from the elevator up to the Plaza where you enter the High Museum, the Alliance Theatre and the Atlanta Symphony.  If you are attending an afternoon concert or visiting the High, catch the Rapid 10 back up to Town Center. If you are a senior the fare is a real bargain.  This route is one of the best kept secrets in Cobb. Check it out sometime and enjoy a stress-free ride to the Arts Center.

CRN will be coordinating with Bells Ferry Civic Association and City residents on the big Z-29 case. We will try to keep you updated on this very important rezoning. Once I get past December 6th I will be in a much more festive frame of mind. Whatever your plans, I hope you have a safe and happy Holiday.

Carol Brown

Canton Road Neighbors, Inc.

Cobb BoC Meeting 11/08/22 Public Comment tab

Text of comments by Carol Brown regarding Annexation of Montgomery property and proposed grant funding from FEMA to rebuild Laura Lake dam.

I want to briefly address the Annexation request and rezoning of @ 175 acres of land owned by the Montgomery heirs. We don’t know if the County Staff has finished their review of the annexation and Beazer site plan and will object based on HB 489 or draft a letter of non-objection.

I’m sure the staff is aware that the ARC declined to give the site plan a Development of Regional Impact review because the applicant lowered the number of homes from 699 to 596. This is still a staggering volume of traffic to be absorbed by the narrow two lane Bells Ferry Road that is already congested.

Who will pay to widen the road? Will the City of Marietta share the cost of the road widening and traffic signals? Or will Cobb taxpayers be asked to pick up the tab in the next SPLOST?

The Phase 3 Barrett Reliever won’t be any help for this planned development.

The transfer of 87.55 acres including Laura Lake and 61 acres to be used as passive greenspace per the deed, is a bargain. Laura Lake dam is classified as Cat 1, meaning loss of life would occur if the dam broke say, during a 500 year flood. Hopefully the grant funding will be available from FEMA but if not, I believe it is in the long term public interest for the county to repair the dam. Acquisition of 61 acres of greenspace to be left undeveloped and used by the public as a passive park is a cause for celebration.

Here are some concerns:

1. IF the annexation into the City proceeds and the City approves the requested PRD (hopefully scaled back) will be public/Cobb County and City residents who don’t live in the PRD have access to the 61 acre greenspace? Will the proposed Access road to the dam guarantee that access permanently?

2. Will the City contribute to maintenance or cost of rebuilding what is to be a regional detention facility?

3. If approved by the City, will Beazer Homes LLC be required to pay a fee in lieu of detention to Cobb County? Or should they be required to build their own stormwater management facility?

4. I imagine you have had the time to examine the PRD submitted to the City by Beazer Homes. You will see a band of green around the perimeter of their site plan. Are they using the County’s 61 acres of greenspace as part of their site plan? That must not be allowed to happen. A PRD required to have 1 acre of recreational space for every 50 homes. They should not try to co-opt the county’s new passive greenspace.

We all hope that Beazer can be persuaded to submit a revised, more reasonable site plan to the City. At minimum I hope that the County can file a letter of objection to the Annexation and list some meaningful stipulations to be required.

Thank you for your time.

Carol Brown

On a happy note to start the weekend, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has posted a livestream of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, on YouTube for a limited time. If you missed it but love music, check out this performance led by Maestro Nathalie Stutzmann. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Beethoven's 9th

Z-69 was for the large property owned by the heirs of the Montgomery family. They are selling most of their acreage on Bells Ferry Road to be developed by Beazer Homes LLC. Z-69 was for 699 homes on 175 acres but was withdrawn by Attorney Kevin Moore.

See link to article at top of column.

 He has filed a request for Annexation into the City of Marietta, and a rezoning to PRD for 175 acres with 596 homes. The density will be 3.40 units per acre. 

Cobb County acquired the 26.34 acre Laura Lake to repair the dam and use it for regional detention. They also received an additional 61.21 acres which must remain undeveloped and will be used as passive greenspace open to the public. This is a total of 87.55 acres which was deeded to Cobb County by the Montgomery heirs in lieu of the @ $4,000,000 cost to repair the dam and dredge the lake. No money changed hands. There was also a 4.87 acre access easement across the north property line running from Bells Ferry to the dam which will allow Cobb to work on the dam.  It is not a new cut through road or reliever.

This promises to be an interesting and challenging case. The county has decided to object to the annexation due to the conflict between the LDR land use and proposed MDR in the City. There will be substantial issues with the volume of traffic entering and leaving the project onto the narrow and congested two lane Bells Ferry Road. There is likely to be an issue with the added burden to the Marietta City Schools.

 The sheer number of homes should require a Development of Regional Impact review by the ARC but they have declined to review the application. Who will  pay for the infrastructure (road) improvements needed? Why the taxpayers of course! 

The Montgomery property has been a private Wildlife Preserve for years, and there is an old cemetery and historic artifacts on the property as well. Currently this case is planned to be heard in the City on December 6 by the Planning Commission and on 12/14 by Marietta City Council. The case is Z-2022-29. We will keep you updated. A development this size will have significant impact on homeowners in the Kurtz, Cajun Rd, Bells Ferry, Piedmont and Canton Road area and on the two churches nearby. The commissioner will continue to be JoAnn Birrell until 01/01/23. All residents are free to engage in the rezoning process whether it is in the City or County. Let your voice be heard.

Hot mess 

It started with the new county commission district map redrawn as required after the 2020 census.

The map, drawn by the Cobb legislative delegation, majority Democrats, was fairly balanced in distributing new residents into the 4 commission districts. Traditionally, the Georgia General Assembly will recognize and approve a locally drawn map. This year, the Cobb GOP stepped in, alarmed by the prospect of losing another commission district to a Democrat and gerrymandered Districts 2 and 3 to ensure that Commissioner Birrell would not have a close, competitive race as in 2018. The Georgia General Assembly dominated by GOP, accepted the gerrymandered map and Governor Kemp signed off on it. 

District 3 is now comfortably GOP leaning. District 2 now straddles I-75 all the way past Town Center CID. The controversial aspect is that Commissioner Jerica Richardson, duly elected in 2020 has been drawn out of her own district two years early. She would need to move into the new District 2 on or before January 1, 2023 to retain her seat.

A bit belatedly and not without controversy, Democratic Chair Lisa Cupid decided that the Commission would invoke Home Rule which she felt allowed the county to accept the map drawn first by the Democratic legislators and keep Commissioner Richardson in her original District 2 after January 1, 2023. This was adopted in the form of a Resolution, which passed 3-2 on Tuesday the 25th. No doubt someone out there will take legal action on or before January 1 to force the county to accept the GOP map. Litigation is guaranteed to follow.

Whoever wins the District 3 race is set to represent the new district 3 on January 1 but it sounds like Birrell (presumed winner) and Richatdson will be sharing some of the same overlapping turf. Who decides? Who will cast votes on zoning and everything else?

That is the mess served up to County residents.

There are no zoning cases in the CRN area scheduled for November. The following cases will be heard in December:

Z-2022-29 Beazer Homes City of Marietta,12/6 12/14

County 12/6 12/20  Z-77 to CRC (Lidl for grocery store) 2833 Canton Road, 740 Piedmont Road; Z-78 to NRC Lee Jaraysi for car wash 4400 Shallowford Road, 4360 Canton Road; SLUP 18, Uhaul Co. 2800 Canton Road, Self-storage, truck and trailer rental, retail

The Candidate Meet and Greet held October 20th at Shiloh Hills Baptist Youth Center was  well attended and featured Major Mitchell from Precinct 1 and Candidate Christine Triebsch. 

 Major Mitchell discussed the use of a robotic surveillance system called Flock Safety. This makes use of a license plate reader, among other components and speeds up apprehension of criminals entering a location or driving in traffic, fleeing a crime scene. It also allows citizens to upload their video to the police Flock system. A summary of issues impacting Bells Ferry was made by BFCA's Tullan Avard and Carol Brown gave a brief summary of Canton Road issues.

Three major public projects in Commission District 3 are on long term hold: 

A ground breaking ceremony for the planned construction of a new Gritters Library was held nearly a year ago, but on September 27th an agenda item to fund the construction was pulled after Commissioner Birrell was unable to find the votes to approve. This did not appear in any of Commissioner Birrell’s newsletters. Rising costs of construction led to the tabling of the new library; also impacted was construction of a new Police Precinct 6 at Mountain View. The East Cobb News article was published on September 29. Link to the East Cobb News article

The third major project on hold is the planned new Fire Station 12 on Canton Road across from the Chastain Kroger. It is currently housed on Brackett Rd., close to Shaw Park. This is funded in the 2022 SPLOST and cost estimates are still underway. Construction may not begin for two more years.

Construction of the intersection improvements on Canton at Shallowford Rd. which are funded by the 2016 SPLOST, is slowly moving ahead.

CRN’s Jim Smith reports that the retaining walls, sidewalks with curb and gutter and guard railing are mostly done. A base layer of asphalt has been laid. Work on the medians has not yet begun. The DOT estimate for completion is January 2023.

Street racing continues to be a problem on the 5 mile Canton Road corridor and on the Connector.

We first became aware of the problem in late August a year ago, when an unruly crowd took over the intersection of Canton at Liberty Hill and assaulted a driver and his family as they attempted to go around the vehicles “making donuts” in the middle of the intersection. The noise and number of vehicles engaging in this dangerous-to-the-public “recreation” has not improved. Motorcycles, trucks and cars can be heard roaring up and down the corridor as late as midnight. Occasionally an ambulance can be heard and the racing pauses for a while. In the daytime tire tracks can be seen at several intersections, along with pieces of metal from wrecked cars. Here is a link to video shot on October 15th at 9 pm. It would be interesting to hear what the plan is to stop this activity. It seems to be operating largely out of control.

Review the Cobb Board of Commissioners Work Session on Stormwater Infrastructure here: www.YouTube.com/CobbCountyGovt.

There are no zoning cases in the CRN area scheduled for this month or November. The following cases will be heard in December:

Z-69 Beazer Homes LLC Laura Lake Z-77 to CRC (Lidl for grocery store) 2833 Canton Road, 740 Piedmont Road; Z-78 to NRC Lee Jaraysi for car wash 4400 Shallowford Road, 4360 Canton Road; SLUP 18, Uhaul Co. 2800 Canton Road, Self-storage, truck and trailer rental, retail

This is the second candidate event that CRN has co-hosted with Bells Ferry Civic; the first was the 2016 Chairman Candidate debate at Covenant Presbyterian featuring Tim Lee, Larry Savage and Mike Boyce. CRN hosted a Candidate Meet and Greet at Vespucci’s in 2012 and in 2010 hosted a Meet and Greet for District 3 and Chairman candidates at 756 Kurtz Road, which had been nominated for a park.

Special thanks to the Shiloh Hills Baptist Church for providing use of their Youth Center for the meeting. 

That’s all for now.

Carol Brown, MRP 

Canton Road Neighbors, Inc.

Cobb Redistricting Vote  AJC 10/10

Watch BoC hearing  Agenda Item 41 to vote on resolution amending Act 562

Approved 3-2

Youtube starts:

2:35:00 to 3:00:00

 BoC to hear about Stormwater Infrastructure The county’s stormwater infrastructure will be the topic of a work session Tuesday before the Board of Commissioners.

In December, the Commissioners asked the Water Service Director to develop a proposal to enhance stormwater services in the county and examine the establishment of a stormwater fee to fund the program. Water Service Director Judy Jones will brief commissioners on how our services compare to neighboring jurisdictions and how other jurisdictions charge for stormwater services based on the impervious surface area.

Stormwater management has become a matter of increasing concern in the county and has become more challenging to maintain.  A growing amount of the hundreds of miles of drainage pipes in the county have reached the end of their useful life, and it has been difficult to maintain the staffing required to handle calls and catch up on a backlog of stormwater projects.

Currently, stormwater maintenance in Cobb County outside of the right-of-way is funded through water and sewer rates and handled by contractors, while many neighboring jurisdictions have a stormwater utility dedicated to maintaining the infrastructure. Tuesday’s work session is an informational briefing only.  Any change to stormwater management in the county would only happen sometime in 2023 after significant feedback from Cobb residents and other stakeholders.You can watch the work session at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on the county’s website, YouTube channel, or cable channel.  You can view a replay of the meeting at any time at www.YouTube.com/CobbCountyGovt.

September Zoning

OB 49 1091 Lake  Dr.  To consider a Stipulation amendment for Arylessence (recent recipient of fee and permit waivers and incentives).  Approved on Consent

Z 54 756 Kurtz Rd R20 OSC to R 20. This is to allow the owner to build a swimming pool. Approved on Consent

SLUP 12 Piedmont Rd  Storage facility Approved on Consent

Carol Brown, Canton Road Neighbors, Inc

Stuck in traffic on the perimeter again? Check out GDOT'S Major Mobility Investment program update. The plan will add express lanes to the periPmeter and GA 400. https://majormobilityga.com 

September Zoning

Z 54 756 Kurtz Rd

SLUP 12 Piedmont Rd

August Zoning

OB 37 921 Jamerson to allow window tinting business

July Zoning cases

Planning 7/5 BoC 7/19

Z-44 LRO to NRC 1900 Sandy Plains for Personal Care Home: Consent Agenda Approved by BoC

OB 35  3850 Canton Rd Amend Stipulations to allow personal care home. East side of Canton north of Centerview Drive. Withdrawn w/o prejudice

ARC Regional Safety Strategy focus group recap

The Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Safety Strategy focus group took place on Monday in a 2 hour virtual session that presented design concepts to make transportation safer for all – drivers, pedestrians and bicycle riders.

Statistics on crashes in the metro region, annual averages over 5 years: 230,000 crashes, 3,150 seriously injured and 600 killed. Most of the fatalities and serious injuries occurred in roadway departures, with speed a factor: 22,000. There were 116,000 injuries at intersections 325 fatalities  and 1700 serious injuries.

There were 2,100 bike/pedestrian crashes.

The presentation slides showed different road configurations: 4 lane, 5 lane, 2 and 3 way intersections and rural two lane highways. Each road design featured proposed infrastructure solutions to mitigate accidents at intersections and roadway departures. Proposals suggested were roundabouts, installing medians on 5 lane roadways, creating adequate bike pedestrian trails that were separated from traffic using bollards or trees. Adding lighting, raised reflectors in the center lane and increasing the width of striping at road edges were suggested to improve safety on rural two lanes where roadway departures due to speeding occur often.

The completed RSS Strategy will be used as a reference guide by the ARC for counties and municipalities as they plan for roadway improvements, funded by local SPLOST dollars or to be matched with State and Federal funds.

A quick look at Georgia DOT’s Crash Data for 2021 in Cobb County showed 27,223 crashes with 10,417 injuries and 77 fatalities. Cobb crash data 2021 is shown in the GIS maps at the top of the page.

Add to this our fairly recent problem with street racing and we have some serious issues to address.

Calendar

June 28 BoC Work Session 1:30  2023 proposed Budget: link to info and video explaining Staffing Crisis below:

https://youtu.be/vUhdJRVIVvE

https://www.cobbcounty.org/cmunications/news/commissioners-hear-details-fy23-budget

ARC Regional Safety Strategy planning underway

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is developing the Atlanta Region’s first-ever transportation Regional Safety Strategy (RSS). The RSS is looking at safety from a regional perspective and will offer guidance to cities and counties on planning and implementing their own safety projects and safety elements for users of all modes. Part data-driven, part human-driven, the RSS will be the product of technical analysis as well as wide stakeholder input, presenting safety measures that are meaningful and impactful to all communities.  

As part of the strategy development process, the project team is hosting focus groups with citizens from around the region to get their perspective on safety and how it impacts their daily lives as they move around their local communities and beyond, and collect feedback on draft recommendations for the RSS.

June Zoning Cases

BoC Zoning

Z-30 Approved on Consent

Z-32 Amadeus LLC for Talk of the Town Catering 2469 Canton Rd  Approved 5-0

view YouTube

https://youtu.be/aMH6_ZxHQgc

starts 2:21:00

Planning Commission

Z-37 905 Liberty Hill R-20 to LRO Withdrawn

Z-30 875 Blackwell Rd R-20 to LRO - deleted to LIPS rec approve 3-0 Starts 1:21:18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnJJMxlwifc

Z-32 Amadeus LLC 2469 Canton Rd GC to NRC for caterer, office space Talk of the Town Catering rec approve 3-0 starts 1:44:38

https://www.youtube.comwatch?v=JnJJMxlwifc

If  the links above do not redirect visit YouTube and search Cobb Planning Commission June 2022

the run times listed are correct

Commission District Map Cobb Republicans file bill to redistrict commission districts

Canton Road Neighbors, Inc 2020-2022

To stay updated on Cobb County news visit www.cobbcounty.org