2023 Year in Review

Canton Road Neighbors 2023 Year in Review

Top 10 in 2023

2023 began with an application to build a large (175 acre, 592 home) subdivision on Bells Ferry Road. The county wanted to lower the density of the site plan; therefore the applicant and their attorney applied to annex the Montgomery Heirs property into the City of Marietta. This was Canton Road Neighbors #1 case for 2023.

Overall, Canton Road Neighbors addressed 11 rezoning applications, was on the stakeholder steering committee for the Noonday Creek Trail Extension Study, attended Chairwoman Cupid’s Town Hall and the Unified Development Code Open House at Mt. View. It was a remarkable year of community engagement due to the impact and intensity of several zoning cases. The Beazer petition had 411 signers in opposition, The Quiktrip petition in opposition has 145 signers, and three smaller zoning cases produced signed petitions that were walked from door to door. Many residents took the time to attend Commission Meetings and to send email and call their Commissioner.

As always, Canton Road Neighbors’ role was to engage with the neighborhoods, inform and advise of processes and changes, and to make presentations to the Board of Commissioners, Planning Commission and City Council in Marietta.

#1  

Z 2022-29 Beazer Homes LLC applied to the City of Marietta to annex and rezone 175 acres on the west side of Bells Ferry Rd. south of Piedmont. It is the Montgomery property which in the past was Rockridge Stable and later, Rockridge Forest Preserve & Wildlife Refuge. Beazer asked for 596 homes.

This was the largest and most significant recent development in NE Cobb. 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.

On Wednesday January 11th 2023 the Marietta City Council approved the Beazer application by a vote of 6-0 with Councilman Chalfant absent.

At the time of the hearing a citizen petition had 411 signers. Thank you all for signing and for your comments. Thanks especially to those who attended the meeting and addressed the Council.

#2 Z-8 2595 Bells Ferry Rd, PSC to NRC Tommy’s Express (Historic McAfee House) This 2 acre site is what remains of Robert McAfee’s 600 acre farm which stretched over to the Noonday Creek. There was military action on the property during the Civil War Battle of Noonday Creek and Union General Kenner Garrard used Bob McAfee’s farm house c 1840 as a temporary headquarters.

An application was filed in March by Tommy’s Express for a car wash. CRN worked closely with the attorney for the applicant to ensure that the historic McAfee House would be preserved on the corner of the site where it was built in the early 1840’s. It finally was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission but the applicant withdrew the case several days before the June BoC meeting due to costs. Preservation of this historic property remains a concern and in July Friends of McAfee House was formed to address that goal.

#3 Z- 77 Lidl SW Corner of Canton Rd. and E. Piedmont GC to NRC for a grocery market. This zoning application had zero opposition and was approved on Consent Agenda. The plans have been approved and the property purchased. The community is waiting for construction to begin.

#4 Z-30 Quiktrip SW Corner of Canton and Jamerson GC to NRC for C-Store and fuel sales. While the zoning complies with the land use and is a permitted use within NRC, this is a very intense use with 2,057 visits per day on a comparatively small site of 1.67 acres. The driveway is not adequate for the volume and it will impact adjacent and nearby small businesses as well as drivers in the immediate area. The case will be heard for the 5th time on February 20 by the BoC.

Link to petition w/ 145 signers

Link to 6 minute video presentation

#5 Noonday Creek Trail Extension Study Noonday Creek Trail Extension is one of the 8 priority trail projects identified in the Cobb County Greenways and Trail Master Plan. The purpose of this study is to develop safe, connected, multimodal, and cost-effective solutions to the project trail If completed, the extension will: Expand the existing Noonday Creek Trail, which currently ends at the trailhead on Bells Ferry Road, to Noonday Creek Park. Ultimately close the gap between Bells Ferry Trailhead and the Noonday Creek Trail underway in Cherokee County and the City of Woodstock.

#6 Canton Road Diner (OB 3 2022) Corner of Canton and Liberty Hill. This happy ending developed after a contentious rezoning application for use as an oil change franchise. It was contested by neighborhoods closest to it; a petition had 95 signers. There were too many similar automotive uses nearby. It was Denied. In 2023 a buyer was found and he is renovating the building for use as a breakfast and lunch diner. Residents are eagerly awaiting the opening.

#7 Z-32 Toll SE LP Co, Inc 1901 Ross Road Scufflegrit /Sandy Plains, RR to RA-6 for 105 detached single family homes. Deleted to RA-5 with 95 homes 19 acres. A new subdivision with 95 homes.

#8 Z-24 SWI Investments 2546 Canton Road R-20 to NRC for C-Store with fuel sales. Deleted to LRC with C-Store and fuel sales prohibited. This was an overly intense planned new use contiguous to an established residential neighborhood. There were also stormwater issues and inadequate midblock access to busy Canton Road. This type of issue is ongoing on the corridor.

#9 Z- 52 1054 Investment Group LLC 1022, 1028, 1054 Shallowford. R-20 to NRC Specialty Contractor, landscaping, parking of vehicles and outdoor storage. This is an instance where a required update to a new rezoning category should remedy a situation where the property has become blighted and with multiple violations of Code. It is also contiguous to a residental neighborhood. Pending February 2024.

#10 Z-40 Atlanta Remediation 1018 Shallowford R-20 to NRC for boat and RV storage. This is an overly intense planned new use contiguous to an established residential neighborhood. Pending February 2024

This June the community said goodbye to the old Gritters Library. A new facility with Community meeting rooms will be built in the next couple of years.

Please note that three zoning cases are still pending; Z-30, 40 and 52 will be heard in February. Z-30 QT will have its 5th and possibly final hearing. The community is waiting for construction to begin on the new Lidl market and waiting eagerly for the Canton Road Diner to open early in 2024. Preservation of the McAfee House and site will continue to be a priority in 2024. The Noonday Creek Trail Study is longer term but hopefully can begin within our lifetime. 2023 has been quite a year for  CRN and residents impacted by these applications. I would like to think we rose to meet the challenge with the hope of making our community a better place to live, work and play and a safer place to drive amid all the changes.

Happy New Year and Thank you!

Carol Brown, MA MRP Canton Road Neighbors, Inc.