Blog for Concerned Citizens of East Cobb Over Isakson Living

Share your views with Chairman Lee

1/27/2015

Isakson Living Plan

Chairman Tim Lee

Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee will be the speaker at the next meeting of the East Cobb Civic Association (ECCA) on Wednesday, January 28, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. at the East Cobb Government Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road), and anyone is welcome to attend.

Chairman Lee has endorsed the Isakson Living proposal for a huge Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) development on the Tritt property on Roswell Road next to East Cobb Park. “I support it,” Lee told the Marietta Daily Journal in an article on January 1, 2015. Lee's statements to the Marietta Daily Journal are odd given that other Cobb Commissioners have consistently stated that they are not allowed to give opinions about zoning applications before those cases are heard before the Board of Commissioners.

Chairman Lee goes on to basically paint the Isakson Living opposition as a bunch of tree huggers: “Folks believe there’s a way to make it an extension of East Cobb Park. The folks that are against it because they want it to be park land are not being realistic. It just isn’t going to work. It’s not an option,” Lee said.

While we would all like more parks and green space in East Cobb, that is not the primary reason the Concerned Citizens are opposed to the Isakson Living proposal. Nor should the need for senior housing be a primary reason to support Isakson Living's plan. This is a zoning application, pure and simple, and the primary concern is how it would impact the neighborhood. The Isakson Living proposal is a huge 4-story apartment complex, plus a dense subdivision, with roughly 500 total units. If the Tritt property must be developed, we would much prefer a normal subdivision, that would be built at a scale and intensity that fits with the neighborhood. A normal subdivision also has little chance of failure, unlike Isakson Living's development in Peachtree Hills, which has been stalled for nearly 10 years. The Tritt property is zoned Low Density Residential, and it should remain that way. We are most concerned that East Cobb remains a great place to live.

A Review of Efforts to Protect the Tritt Property Next to East Cobb Park: Top 5 Blog Posts & a Timeline

1/15/2015

View the 1-Page Summary
on why we support keeping the current zoning for the 54-acre Tritt property.

54-Acre Tritt Property on Roswell Road

Happy New Year 2015! We are just past the 2-year anniversary of this community's efforts to protect the Tritt property next to East Cobb Park, and we thought it would be a good idea to review a few blog posts on this effort as we gear up for the March 3, 2015 and March 14, 2015 Cobb County Board of Commissioners meetings, in which Isakson Living's rezoning request will be heard again.

During these past 2 years, thousands of East Cobbers have supported this effort to protect the Tritt property from development by signing petitions, emailing the Board of Commissioners, attending meetings, and sharing information with others, but even still, many people are just now finding out about the intensity of the Isakson Living development proposal and a lot has happened. So here's a timeline (see below) as well as a recap of the top 5 blog posts that include key details about why it is so important to preserve the Tritt property:

1. East Cobb Park was once part of the Tritt property: Here's a great post on the interesting history of this area and part of the legacy of Odessa Tritt Lassiter, who was the aunt of Norris and Wylene Tritt.

The Tritt property on a map from 1869 (land lots 965 & 966 in red box)

2. East Cobb proposal compared with other Isakson Living developments: This blog post is how the Isakson Living East Cobb proposal compares with Isakson Living's other 2 other properties: Isakson Living's Park Springs community in Stone Mountain, and the planned Isakson Living retirement community in Peachtree Hills Buckhead that has been an empty lot for years and has a $30+ million lawsuit by BB&T.

Map of residential East Cobb surrounding the 54-acre Tritt property

3. Help East Cobb Park: A blog post on how the sale of the 53.7-acre Tritt property next to many subdivisions and East Cobb Park will impact this community greatly no matter what, whether it becomes a new Park, an 80-home subdivision, or a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). The Tritt property is one of the last undeveloped green space areas in East Cobb, and so its sale will have an effect on this area for generations:

The Tritt property next to East Cobb Park in the Sewell Mill Creek watershed

4. The real deal on the East Cobb Park donation offer and more specifics on the October Isakson Living East Cobb proposal: This blog post covers specifics on many topics: the East Cobb Park donation offer, 84 retirement houses vs. a subdivision, why the Isakson Living East Cobb proposal would raze more Green Space than previous plans, the height & square footage of the 11 multi-story buildings, and which commercial businesses are planned within the CCRC.

Isakson Living October 2014 Proposal. 4 subdivisions are next to the Tritt property: Hidden Hollow, Robinson Walk, Wyntergreen, and Glenside

5. Protected Wetlands, Affordable Options for Retirees, and Parkland: This blog post explains why so many Cobb residents suggest the Tritt property be preserved as a park: the property is well-suited as parkland, as it is next to small existing parks (East Cobb Park and Fullers Park) in a residential area, and the property has wetlands, floodplains, and very steep hills. The Tritt property was on the Park Bond 2006 and Park Bond 2008 list of potential properties.

East Cobb Park next to the Tritt property

Isakson Living East Cobb proposal timeline

Late 2012: Surveyors seen on the Tritt property by neighbors
Early 2013: Neighbors begin inquiring with Cobb County and the East Cobb Civic Association about the rumored rezoning of the Tritt property.
May 2013: Isakson Living submits zoning application Z-43 2013; zoning hearings scheduled for August 2013. Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) planned for 987 units.
June 4, 2013: "Large senior living community planned for East Cobb" article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
June 9, 2013: "Isakson Living proposes $200M senior development" article in the Marietta Daily Journal article

July 2013: Concerned Citizens Facebook page started
July 31, 2013: Isakson Living presented at the East Cobb Civic Association (ECCA) meeting
August 6, 2013: Zoning Planning Commission Hearing, and Isakson Living case continued by staff until October 1, 2013 hearing
August 2013: ECCA and the Indian Hills Civic Association both vote unanimously against the Isakson Living proposal.
September 2013: Isakson Living asks for a continuance until the November 2013 hearings.
October 7, 2013: Isakson Living withdraws their Z-43 zoning application
November 5, 2013: Isakson Living re-files their zoning application, Z-2 2014, with 845 units planned. Hearing dates initially scheduled for February 2014.
November 12, 2013: Cobb County Board of Commissioners places a moratorium on zoning applications for CCRCs until April 1, 2014. It was unclear if this would affect Isakson Living, since they re-filed before the moratorium.
January 2014: Zoning staff continues the Isakson Living case to the May 2014 hearings
January 22, 2014: Isakson Living offers to donate 9.5 acres of land to East Cobb Park if their zoning application is approved
January 31, 2014: Representatives of ECCA and Concerned Citizens met with Isakson Living and their partners, Erickson Living, to discuss their 3rd plan of 748 units
March 2014: East Cobber magazine runs Isakson Living cover story
March 28, 2014: Representatives of ECCA and Concerned Citizens met with Isakson Living attorney; no substantial changes.
April 12, 2014: A large group of Concerned Citizens meets at East Cobb Park
May 2014: East Cobber magazine runs Concerned Citizens article
May 6, 2014: Cobb County Planning Commission hears Isakson Living case (Z-2 2014). 149 people opposed, 97 in support. Concerned Citizens presented a petition opposing Isakson Living with over 2,500 signatures. After long presentations and discussion, zoning staff decided to continue the case to the September 2014 zoning hearings.
August 2014: Isakson Living continued until the November 2014 zoning hearings
October 3, 2014: Representatives of ECCA and Concerned Citizens met with Isakson Living about a 498-unit plan
October 27, 2014: Isakson Living community meeting at Mt. Bethel Church

November 4, 2014: Cobb County planning commission hears Isakson Living case (Z-2 2014) for a second time, 149 people opposed, 61 in support. Concerned Citizens presented a new petition opposing Isakson Living with over 1,400 signatures
(Change.org + Paper signatures).
After more long presentations and discussion, the planning commission decided to continue the case to the February 2015 zoning hearings.
December 18, 2014: Isakson Living was granted a continuance until the March 2015 zoning hearings, currently scheduled for March 3, 2015 and March 17, 2015.

Protected Wetlands, Affordable Options for Retirees, and Parkland Possibilities

1/6/2015

Protected Wetlands

We recently checked the National Wetlands Inventory and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to discover the Tritt property most likely has many acres of wetlands on the property. According to the National Wetlands Inventory map, many acres appear to be wetlands along the northern (Roswell Road) and western (East Cobb Park) sides of the Tritt property. Federally protected wetlands are located along the same Sewell Mill Creek floodplain to the north across Roswell Road and to the south near Fullers Park. The only reason that the wetlands are not specifically listed for the Tritt property on the current National Wetlands Inventory map is because the Tritt property has not been surveyed since the Wetlands Inventory began, as the Tritt property has been family-owned for over 100 years.

(Click for larger image) Map based on National Wetlands Inventory. The reason the wetlands are not specifically listed on the Tritt property is because the Tritt property has not been surveyed since the Wetlands Inventory began. The Tritt property has been family-owned for over 100 years.

By law, any rezoning application must address whether wetlands are located on a property when a rezoning request is filed. The Isakson Living rezoning application has consistently checked "possibly, not verified" rather than "yes" or "no" about whether wetlands are located on the Tritt property. Furthermore, the applicant is required to obtain wetlands permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Wetlands Section from Isakson Living Rezoning Application Z-2 (see page 8)

By waiting until after the rezoning is final before figuring the number of acres of wetlands on the property, Isakson Living is not giving the Board of Commissioners an accurate picture of this significant East Cobb property. In short, a wetlands survey should be done before any rezoning hearing with the Board of Commissioners, currently scheduled for March 3 and March 17, 2015.

Affordable Options for Retirees

In a recent MDJ article, Board of Commissioners Chair Tim Lee noted that the county is in need of retirement homes and “We need to provide somewhere for senior adults to age in the community in which they raised their kids." However, the overwhelming majority of senior facilities in all of Cobb County are densely located in East Cobb, and this type of CCRC facility serves an extremely small percentage of Cobb's overall senior population. If the true goal is more senior living options across Cobb as Mr. Lee indicates, this project does little to serve those who are most in need of affordable options. The proposed development would use up precious resources while offering no affordable solutions for the majority of retirees living with families in Cobb County. In other words even if this development were approved, an overwhelming majority of seniors in Cobb County would not benefit from it.

Related to this, Isakson Living has never presented a needs analysis for this type of retirement community in East Cobb. Many retirees who can afford this type of community often opt for in-home nursing care. In addition, many have observed how oversaturated the retirement community market has become in East Cobb, with more than 10 retirement communities, many of which are not at capacity, within a 5-mile radius of the proposed development site of the Tritt property next to East Cobb Park. A new retirement community is also currently being built on East Piedmont near Sandy Plains, and it is worth noting that this property is similar to the Tritt property in that it was also on the potential list of property to be purchased with Park Bond 2008 (see images below).

East Piedmont Property Purchased for a New Residential Senior Living Development... This property was also on the 2008 Park Bond potential property list.

Current East Piedmont construction... This property was also on the 2008 Park Bond potential property list.

Note that the 17-Acre Parcel (pictured above) was on the 2008 Park Bond list of potential properties but was recently purchased for $2 million by a developer for a new senior care facility in East Cobb.

Parkland Possibilities

East Cobb Park next to the Tritt property

Some Commissioners and Planning Commissioners have also noted that many Cobb residents suggest the Tritt property should be preserved as a park, and the reason is that the property is actually well-suited as parkland: It's next to small existing parks (East Cobb Park and Fullers Park), and the property has wetlands, floodplains, and very steep hills. The Tritt property was on the Park Bond 2006 and Park Bond 2008 list of potential properties.

Park Bond 2008 has still not been issued, and many properties from the Park Bond potential list of properties to be purchased by the County are either under threat of development (such as the 54-acre Tritt property) or have already been developed by developers (such as the 17-acre East Piedmont property).

Ironically, Isakson Living's Stone Mountain property has more buildable acreage than the Tritt property and yet it has fewer units on the property, which is surrounded by Stone Mountain and light industrial zoning. These facts beg the question: why is Isakson Living asking for more units on the Tritt property on less land, especially in light of the surrounding homeowners and park goers?

Only about 31 acres of the entire 54-acre Tritt property could actually be developed by any developer, which is why this property makes more sense as a park, rather than a large-scale retirement community. We welcomed the news that Isakson Living would donate 9 acres to East Cobb Park; however this is far fewer than the 23 acres of land, including possible wetlands, that could not be developed and should be preserved.

Only 31 Acres of the Tritt Property Could be Developed. At least 23 Acres Should be Preserved with a Park or Conservation Easement.

Why Isakson Living Rezoning Request Should Be Denied

The cost of the land and Isakson Living's business model should not be the driving forces behind the Board of Commissioners' approval of this zoning. The Board of Commissioners should deny Isakson Living's rezoning request based on the inappropriateness of the proposed buildings on this particular property (and considering Cobb's own future land use map) as well as the impact on the surrounding properties and natural floodplain of the Sewell Mill Creek watershed.

Tree in front of the Tritt Property on Roswell Road

Deer still roam on the Tritt Property

To summarize, the Tritt property is not ideal as a large-scale retirement community for several reasons:

1. The abundance of Cobb retirement communities all located in this specific area of Cobb County means there is no need for an additional development of this intense scope and size in a mostly residential area that is already being served by other facilities.

2. Retirement communities are needed in many other parts of Cobb County; however, this expensive model is not an affordable plan for vast majority of Cobb County seniors

3. Buildings of 4-stories would be much too urban for East Cobb neighborhoods of single family homes or next to East Cobb Park.

The Tritt property is ideally suited to be a park.

1. The Tritt property most likely has more than 10 acres of state and federally protected wetlands.

2. A full 23 acres of the 54-acre property are actually wetlands, floodplain, stream buffers, and steep hills, and at the very least those acres should be fully protected.

3. The topography is too steep for a retirement community without significant grading, and the Sewell Mill Creek watershed aquifers are too fragile for flattening the property.

Concerned Citizens of East Cobb