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Concerned Citizens of East Cobb

Protecting Our Community's Residents, Seniors, Schools and Environment

Walking the Tritt Property next to East Cobb Park and 4 subdivisions

2/28/2015

 
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View of the Tritt property barn from proposed Buildings K and Building I
Guest Post: While working with Concerned Citizens of East Cobb against the Isakson Living CCRC development plans, I had the opportunity to walk the 54-acre Tritt property, as part of a tour with Isakson Living's landscape architect to understand where the 11 mostly 4-story apartment buildings and 65 homes would be located in relation to existing subdivision homes, East Cobb Park, and streams including Sewell Mill Creek.  I actually got to walk on the Tritt property 2 times because the first time not all the buildings at been staked out completely.  Here's the CCRC building plan to show where I was standing when I took the pictures, so that you can understand the CCRC plans more fully, and see how the buildings would look like if this zoning passes. 

I will say that I was against the CCRC plans before the tour. But now I'm overwhelmed, because the property is so beautiful, even in the middle of winter, and the CCRC buildings are much closer to the borders of the property than I thought. 
 I realize that people need to live and work somewhere, and there's only so much space that can be saved.  However, the scale of these plans is so completely out of character here, and very urban when compared to anything else in East Cobb. As far as I know, there are no 4-story buildings anywhere in East Cobb, so I was surprised to see so many 4-story buildings on the plan!  

Thank Josh Groban, Don't Give Up
PictureTritt property view: Stream, Hardwoods, Elm Grove
Topography: The landscape is so beautiful, it's rolling hills with spaced hardwoods in every direction.  I noticed some micro-zones on the property, and one of my favorite was a grove of elms.  I also especially liked climbing to the top of the main hill, it's a perfect view of the area: to East Cobb Park, the hill to Glenside, across to Providence, and over to Hidden Hollow.  I was quite upset to learn that 28-30 feet of 'ground' would be taken away to make it flat enough to build on.  Why wouldn't the developers build on a property that is already flat?  Wouldn't that be better for the environment? Cheaper? Easier? I was told they would 'replant' on this property after the buildings were built... But then why wouldn't they just replant after building on already developed property?? If they are going to cut down all the trees anyway, why wouldn't they purchase a different property that is already developed?  These trees should be saved.  I can see why this property was highest on the Park Bond 2006 and Park Bond 2008 list:  It is meant to be saved.

Insight about the retirement concept: When I first learned about a retirement community on the Tritt property, I thought, how sweet, seniors can age in a beautiful forest near their grandchildren playing at East Cobb Park... but now I realize, all the trees will be cut down on the property, and there is no 'little' retirement community in the woods... there are huge multi-story buildings with homes so close to the next subdivision you could easily toss a football between them.  Then, East Cobb Park would be changed forever by towering buildings.  Even the donated land would run along the edge of 50-60 ft tall buildings that go on for the entire length of East Cobb Park.

Insight about schools: I had also been told that this 481-unit retirement community would be better than a subdivision because it wouldn't add children to the schools.... but now I understand if even 100 East Cobb seniors moved out of their existing homes into this CCRC retirement community, that would mean 100 homes available for new families to move into... and that could overcrowd the schools.   Ironically building an 80-home subdivision on the Tritt property could mean less students for the schools!  Of course, I would rather see this property saved, but that's another topic...  For now, this development plan should be stopped.  

PictureCCRC Plan covers 54-acres
Cumberland Mall comparison: I had heard that this Isakson Living CCRC would have more square footage than Cumberland Mall, and I can see that now. Honestly it felt even bigger. I walked over 2 hours during each visit to cover much of the property, and I didn't see everything.  I walked around the perimeter to see the potential views from the 11 multi-story CCRC buildings and some of the 65 CCRC homes. 



Directions to Tuesday, March 3 at 9:00 AM meeting at the Board of Commissioners, 100 Cherokee Street near the Marietta Square

Online Petition


Some extra pictures of nature on the Tritt property
Old wall near a stream
Fallen tree looks like driftwood
Wild cyclamen
Forest floor ferns
Tree lichen like seashells
Swampy wetlands view
Pretty quartz rock
Soft tree moss
Unique holly-like plant
Little magnolia

Odessa Tritt Lassiter & What Makes the Tritt Property Special for East Cobb

2/26/2015

 
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Front view of the 54-acre Tritt Property
Many of the families that shaped East Cobb are  involved in the Tritt property: the Delks, the Lassiters, and the Tritts.  East Cobb schools and roads have been named in honor of these families, and interestingly the families are interconnected by marriage.

Odessa Tritt Lassiter willed the Tritt property to Wylene Tritt's late husband, Norris Tritt, in 1948, and the property was in the family for at least 80 years before that.  Odessa Tritt Lassiter’s will and testament was unique in that she wrote that the trees of the Tritt property should always be preserved:  Odessa’s will stipulated “No timber is to be cut off of either place except for building and repairs on these farms.”  This was part of Odessa Tritt Lassiter’s legacy to her family. 
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Tree in front of the Tritt property
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Part of the Will of Odessa Tritt Lassiter: "No timber is to be cut off of either place except for building and repairs on these farms."
In 1950, Norris and Wylene Tritt moved onto the Tritt property, and the Tritt's honored Odessa's wish in how they built their current home. Wylene Tritt said 'the wood that framed the current house was sawed right from the trees on the property'. 

The original barn
from the time when Odessa Tritt Lassiter lived on the property still stands as a testament to a simpler time, when people rode in horse-drawn carriages and farmed the land. 
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From 2012 Around Walton article (Click to read entire story)
When Norris Tritt, the late husband of the current owner, Wylene Tritt, inherited the land in 1948 from his Aunt Odessa Tritt Lassiter, it was still 80 acres.  Norris Tritt sold some of his land to the Bowles family, who in turn sold their land to the Friends for East Cobb Park in 2001; this was the first 13 acres of East Cobb Park. East Cobb Park, according to Cobb County, "has become one of the most heavily used parks in our system."  
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East Cobb Park looking towards the Tritt property in February 2015
In 2005, Mrs. Tritt donated land easements to connect Fuller’s Park and East Cobb Park, and the main bridge at East Cobb Park is named in honor of Norris Tritt, Odessa Tritt Lassiter's nephew: "The Friends for the East Cobb Park are pleased to announce a collaboration with Mrs. Wylene Tritt, the owner of the property located on the east side of Sewell Mill Creek across from East Cobb Park.  The agreement reached with Mrs. Tritt is to establish a permanent easement across her property, allowing for the connection of East Cobb Park to Fullers Park." 
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Dedication at the East Cobb Park bridge
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Bridge named in honor of Norris Tritt, nephew of Odessa Tritt Lassiter
The history of the Tritt land goes back much further.  In 1832, Georgia held the Gold Lottery, to give away several thousand parcels of 40 acres each.  The Cherokees had recently been forced from the area (the Trail of Tears), and there was the belief that much of their former land had gold, including the present area of East Cobb.  There was so much demand for the gold land, that the state divided the area into 40 acre parcels (called Land Lots), rather than the usual 160 acre parcels. The Land Lot system is still used today to describe land in Cobb County.

Also, in 1832 Cobb County was formed from the former Cherokee land.  We don't know the earliest history of the current Tritt land, because the Union army burned the Cobb courthouse, along with most records, in 1864, during the Civil War.  However, we know from available tax lists that Jackson Delk (1814-1897) owned the land by at least 1864.
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The Tritt property on a map from 1869 (land lots 965 & 966 in red box)
Jackson Delk was the brother of Emily Delk (1823-1891), who was the wife of William Tritt (1820-1906), and these were the great-grandparents of Norris Tritt; in fact, William Tritt and Emily Delk are the ancestors of all the Tritt family in Cobb County.  Jackson Delk owned the land until his death in 1897, and then it was inherited by his son John Delk, who moved to Texas and sold the land to his brother Robert Delk in 1907.  Robert Delk in turn sold the land to his first cousin David Tritt in 1916.  David Tritt sold the land in 1917 to his niece, Odessa Tritt Lassiter, who owned the land until her death in 1948. 
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Inheritance of the Tritt property since before the Civil War
Odessa was the widow of Henry Lassiter, and had no children, so in her will she gave her property to her nephews, Norris and James Tritt.  Norris Tritt received his aunt's 80 acres on Roswell Road, while James Tritt, father of country music singer Travis Tritt, got 120 acres on Post Oak Tritt Road, where the Lost Forest subdivision is located today.  So, the land has been in the Delk and Tritt families, who were closely related, for a very long time.  
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Part of the history of the Tritt property involves the Park Bonds.  With the 2006 Park Bond, the Tritt property was “the only top-tier property recommended by the first citizens committee that was not purchased.” And this property was again at the top of the list for the Park Bond in 2008, which Cobb County has yet to issued.  We do feel that the 2008 Park Bond should be issued as it was a voter-approved referendum that passed in November 2008 with over 65% of the vote.  Even if that Bond is not used to purchase this property, the 2008 Park Bond money should be issued before re-allocating it into the Braves funding.

In April 2009 Mrs. Tritt spoke eloquently and clearly, "I would like the county to have my property so the park would be big enough for all the residents in the area to enjoy." This East Cobb area is blessed with excellent schools and convenient amenities, yet the ratio of parks per household is very low in Cobb County.  From the Trails of Cobb County map, it is easy to see that this area is clearly under-served in terms of parks and trails, and in fact all of Cobb County has a need for more parkland to improve the people-to-parks ratio.
Here are Endangered Species most likely on the Tritt property,
according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and
we request that a formal environmental survey be completed before any rezoning.
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Ammodramus henslowii (Henslow's Sparrow) spotted approx. 2.5 mi. S of site
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Platanthera integrilabia (Monkeyface Orchid) [EXTIRPATED (local extinction)] approx. 2.5 mi. W of site
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Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus (Northern Pine Snake) unknown location possibly on site
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Platanthera integrilabia (Monkeyface Orchid) [EXTIRPATED (local extinction)]
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Schisandra glabra (Bay Star-vine) approx. 1.5 mi. S of site
Wetlands are confirmed on both sides of the Tritt property along Sewell Mill Creek, and it is most probable that wetlands exist along the Tritt property.  The only reason wetlands are not confirmed would be that the property has not been surveyed.  Again, a complete environmental survey should be done before any rezoning.
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Wetlands confirmed on either side of the Tritt property along Sewell Mill Creek.


The Isakson Living CCRC plan for the property should be denied on its own merits: With nine 4-story tall apartment buildings, plus two other multi-story buildings, plus 65 cluster homes, it would be ridiculously intense for this area.  

We know that East Cobb has the right to protect the residential character of this community, and we do not want a large-scale commercial development on the Tritt property.

Zoning codes should not be changed just because a developer wants a property for a certain goal. Zoning codes are designed to protect our neighborhood homes, schools, and parks, and as a community we are asking the Board of Commissioners to uphold these principles.
Please join us in this effort at the March 3 Planning Commission meeting
at 9:00 AM
to raise your hand and vote 'No' to this development. 

You can sign the Petition here to halt this development project &
give the community a chance to save the Tritt property legacy
for everyone in our community.

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Join the effort to protect the Tritt property from overdevelopment

Isakson Living East Cobb Park Donation = Smoke and Mirrors?

2/24/2015

 
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View of the Tritt property from East Cobb Park playground in winter
In January 2014, Isakson Living offered to donate 9.5 acres of the Tritt property to expand East Cobb Park, contingent on the their rezoning being approved.  This was intended to placate some members of the community, by offering land which mostly could not be built upon anyhow (protected flood plain and stream buffers), but which would make fine park land - most of the current East Cobb Park is flood plain land.

Now there are strings attached to the park donation.  In Isakson Living's most recent stipulation letter, they are not required to make the park donation until the final "certificate of occupancy" is issued by the county.  A "certificate of occupancy" is the final inspection that a house or building is safe for occupancy.  There are at least 76 structures in their plan, including 65 houses, 9 large apartment buildings, and 2 other large buildings, all of which will each require a certificate of occupancy.  Thus, the park donation is contingent on 76 or more  "certificates of occupancy", and if even one of their planned buildings is not built, Isakson Living is under no obligation to make the park donation.

We have asked Isakson Living for a reasonable time-frame for making the park donation, such as either when a particular phase of construction was complete, or 48 months after zoning approval, whichever comes first.  They have thus far refused.  When asked how long construction will take, Isakson Living has consistently answered 3 to 4 years, so why not set a definite time for the park donation?

The market may not exist for Isakson Living's full plan, meaning the site may never be built out, which would mean they are never obliged to make the park donation.

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Peachtree Hills CCRC has been stalled for 7 years.
Anything can happen, like the situation at Isakson Living's Peachtree Hills site in Buckhead, where their planned retirement community development has been stalled for 7 years.  To this day, it remains just empty lots surrounded by chain-link fences.

For those who bought into Isakson Living's promise of a park donation, please be aware, it may never happen, even if they succeed in rezoning the Tritt property. 
Isakson Living is making no guarantees about when the park donation will occur, which is one more reason to fight this rezoning.  Join us at 9 AM, Tuesday, March 3rd, at the Cobb County Planning Commission zoning hearing in Marietta.  We need many people in opposition to defeat this rezoning!  Also, here is the Petition if you haven't yet signed. 
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Building 7 of the 11 large apartment buildings: Building G is 178,300 square feet and 4-Stories tall (to compare, WellStar across the street is 162,000 square feet). Read the next post below for all the images of the proposed development
Above is the image of Building 7 of the 11 large apartment  buildings: Building G is planned to be 178,300 square feet and 4-Stories tall (to compare, WellStar across the street is 162,000 square feet).  Read the next post below or click here for all the images of the proposed Isakson Living CCRC development.

Latest Isakson Living plans illustrate the intensity of their CCRC project and how unsuitable it would be for East Cobb

2/14/2015

 
On Friday, February 6, 2015, representatives of East Cobb Civic Association (ECCA) and Concerned Citizens met with representatives of Isakson Living, including their attorneys, architects and landscape designer to review the latest changes to their proposal for a retirement community on the 53.7 acre Tritt property, next to East Cobb Park.  This blog post relates much of the information Isakson Living provided at that meeting about their proposed Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) plan for the Tritt property located on Roswell Road.

The 2 images below put 
together would be the 
front view of the CCRC development from Roswell Road, according to the latest Isakson Living plan for the 54-acre Tritt property. In other words, there does not appear to be any overlap in these 2 pictures of the proposed view from Roswell Road.  
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Isakson Living image of view of CCRC development from Roswell Road
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This Isakson Living image above is the view from Roswell Road near Providence Road,
 and includes Buildings A, C, and H, and some of the 65 cottages.  

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This Isakson Living image above is the view from Roswell Road near East Cobb Park,
and includes Buildings I, J, and K.
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With both pictures side by side, the enormity of
the Isakson Living CCRC development proposal is clear. 
 
The image below is the map of all the buildings of the Isakson Living CCRC plan.  On the right, the blue water is Sewell Mill Creek next to East Cobb Park. The 11 buildings A-K are shown in detail in images provided by Isakson Living below. The squares at the back and left of the map are the 65 cottage homes.  The top view is Roswell Road, near Providence Road in the Walton school district.
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Isakson Living Image: Map of February 2015 Isakson Living plan


Isakson Living has made no significant changes or reduction in footprint or size from the very first plan, and the current Isakson Living CCRC plan consists of 481 apartment style units, including 65 cottage homes (ranging from 2,600 to 5,200 square feet), and 11 large apartment-style buildings, 8 of which are 4-stories.  The largest one of the proposed Isakson Living apartment-style buildings is larger than WellStar by itself.  


The preliminary total square footage according to Isakson Living of the Isakson Living CCRC project is 1,054,246 square feet of air conditioned space, , and this does not include the parking garages. The Isakson Living CCRC plan has more square footage than Cumberland Mall, which has 1,040,000 square feet of retail space. Town Center Mall is 1,269,000 sq ft, so it's actually similar to all the retail space of many malls.
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Numbers Provided by Isakson Living
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Numbers Obtained From Wikipedia
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At 1.054 million sq ft, the Isakson Living CCRC plan has more square footage than Cumberland Mall.
The images below are Isakson Living plans for:
 Buildings A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K that house 416 units,
the Health Care Center, the Fitness Center, and Other Amenities

as well as 4 designs for the 65 cottages.
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Isakson Living Image: Building A (click for larger image)
Building A is 57,420 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building B (click for larger image)
Building B is 48,396 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building C (click for larger image)
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Isakson Living Image: Another view of Building C (click for larger image)
Building C is 94,770 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building D (click for larger image)
Building D is 11,800 square feet and 2-Stories tall
(Fitness Center)


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Isakson Living Image: Building E (click for larger image)
Building E is 63,300 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building F (click for larger image)
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Isakson Living Image: Another view of Building F (click for larger image)
Building F is 87,510 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over Parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building G (click for larger image)
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Isakson Living Image: Another view of Building G (click for larger image)
Building G is 178,300 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over Parking)
(to compare, WellStar across the street is 162,000 square feet)

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Isakson Living Image: Building H (click for larger image)
Building H is 79,650 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over Parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building I (click for larger image)
Building I is 96,810 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over Parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building J (click for larger image)
Building J is 38,355 square feet and 3-Stories tall (Assisted Living)

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Isakson Living Image: Building K (click for larger view)
Building K is 68,160 square feet and 2-Stories tall (Skilled Nursing)
The 2 images below are the color schemes for Building B and Building I.
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Isakson Living Image: Color scheme for Building B
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Isakson Living Image: Color scheme for Building I
Below are images of the 4 designs for the 65 cottages planned. The size of each home has been confirmed to be between 1,870 and 5,200 square feet.  To calculate the overall square footage of the project, the average 3,535 sq ft x 65 homes was used.
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Isakson Living Image: House 1 Concept
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Isakson Living Image: House 1 Concept from Rear with Basement
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Isakson Living Image: House 2 Concept
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Isakson Living Image: House 2 Concept from Rear with Basement
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Isakson Living Image: House 3 Concept
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Isakson Living Image: House 4 Concept
Intensity and density are the key descriptions when viewing this CCRC proposal.  It does not fit in East Cobb, nor has a plan been provided that would fit in any low density residential area, as former district 3 Commissioner Helen Goreham pointed out in the initial passage of the CCRC zoning code in 2008 (start at minute 58:00). 

A CCRC with 11 mostly 4-story apartment-style buildings and many commercial amenities, in addition to a 65 home subdivision, is an intensity far greater than a subdivision developer could build. Approximately 88 houses total could fit on the property as it is currently zoned (R-20), and if modeled on the High Gates subdivision (also R-20) on Robinson Road, which has similar acreage as the Tritt property and a floodplain, perhaps as few as 48 homes would fit.     

We want to emphasize again that we support CCRCs, just not a CCRC of this magnitude on this location near East Cobb Park in the Walton school zone.  The Isakson Living plan is far too intense and commercial for this residential area, especially given the topography and environmental features of the Tritt property. 

This Tritt property is zoned low density residential and it should remain so, in order to protect this area from overdevelopment of the East Cobb community, schools and recreational areas.  We hope that Isakson Living can find a suitable location where they could easily build 4-stories or higher, on already developed land rather than pristine forests, to make a cost-effective and practical CCRC development. 
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School Bus stuck in Traffic next to East Cobb Park and the Tritt Property on the right, with the WellStar Health Park up on the left. (February 2015)
We trust the Board of Commisssioners to follow the zoning guidelines to protect areas from being overdeveloped.  It must be pointed out the WellStar on Roswell Road did not go through zoning, and so the impact of that massive development should be taken into account when any future rezonings in this corridor come up for a vote before the Board of Commissioners. The Isakson Living CCRC should be considered in light of the huge impact that WellStar has made on this East Cobb community, and Z-6 the Storage Facility across the street from WellStar and next to the Tritt property should also be considered in light of WellStar's footprint in this corridor.
4 Views Provided by Isakson Living of the CCRC Compared to Actual Views
Below are images provided by Isakson Living of 4 views from the neighboring subdivisions. Isakson Living has asserted that enough trees will remain to mitigate the views of the CCRC development; however, that viewpoint does not appear accurate based on real images of the Tritt property trees. 

Some homeowners in neighboring subdivisions were invited to walk the Tritt property with maps of the proposed development with Isakson Living's landscape designer, in order to understand where the houses and buildings would be located and to see how the subdivision views would be impacted. 

We have included a several Isakson Living-provided images side-by-side with photos of the Tritt property to illustrate the nature of the trees and how the CCRC buildings and houses would not be hidden from view by those trees that would remain. Rather, the CCRC buildings would dominate the landscape for everyone travelling on Roswell Road, living in the homes of the 5 subdivisions surrounding the property, or visiting East Cobb Park.
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View 1 of 4 Isakson Living Image: Backyard view without trees for neighboring subdivisions. Isakson Living said the trees would remain, but this illustrates their CCRC design without visual obstacles
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Isakson Living Image: Backyard views with trees in winter (view 1)
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Actual view from a subdivision of trees in winter. If the interior trees are cut down, the view of CCRC Buildings and CCRC Houses would be clearly visible. Note how high the actual tree leaves would be.
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View 2 of 4 Isakson Living Image: Backyard view without trees for neighboring subdivisions. Isakson Living said the trees would remain, but this illustrates their CCRC design without visual obstacles
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Isakson Living Image: Backyard views with trees in winter (view 2)
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View from the Tritt property of the marker for 1 CCRC House facing uphill. Note the lack of leaves on the trees in winter, and the view is clear all the way to the ridgeline, even with trees.
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View 3 of 4 Isakson Living Image: Backyard view without trees for neighboring subdivisions. Isakson Living said the trees would remain, but this illustrates their CCRC design without visual obstacles
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Isakson Living Image: Backyard views with trees in winter (view 3)
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View from the Tritt property to a subdivision. Note the lack of leaves on the trees in winter, and the view is clear all the way to the ridgeline, even with trees.
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View 4 of 4 Isakson Living Image: Backyard view without trees for neighboring subdivisions. Isakson Living said the trees would remain, but this illustrates their CCRC design without visual obstacles
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Isakson Living Image: Backyard view with trees in winter (view 4)
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View of the Tritt property in winter with no leaves visible. Note how the hardwoods are spaced, and the view is clear all the way to the ridgeline, even with trees.
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Actual view in winter through the woods from the Tritt property. The trees would not hide 11 large 4-story buildings in addition to 65 houses.
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Actual view in winter through the woods from the Tritt property. The trees would not hide 11 large 4-story buildings in addition to 65 houses.
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Actual view in winter of the Tritt property from East Cobb Park. Note that all the interior trees would be cut down. Clearly the 11 multi-story buildings and 65 cottages would be quite visible.
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View 1 of 2: Isakson Living image showing the view from a neighboring subdivision to the Tritt property CCRC. See note below about how much higher the tree canopy actually is with hardwood trees. Also note how the views from the subdivision would both look down on the rooftops of the cottages and look up to the 4-story buildings.
In the Isakson Living image above, the trees seem different from the actual trees.  Note how high the tree canopy is in the real image below.
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Actual view showing how high the tree canopy on the Tritt property.
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View 2 of 2: Another Isakson Living image showing the view from a neighboring subdivision to the Tritt property CCRC. See note below about how much higher the tree canopy actually is with hardwood trees, and the tree leaves are not actually that dense. Also note how the views from the subdivision would both look down on the rooftops of the cottages and look up to the 4-story buildings.
In the Isakson Living image above, the trees seem different from the actual trees.  Note how high the tree canopy is in the real image below.  Many of the Tritt property trees appear 60-70 feet tall, and appear quite different in actuality than depicted in the images..
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Actual view in winter showing how high the tree canopy is and how the hills will impact the viewshed from neighboring subdivisions to the Tritt property.
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Actual view in winter through the woods from the Tritt property. The yellow marker is the stream buffer border. The trees would not hide 11 large 4-story buildings in addition to 65 houses.
Damage to home foundations from planned blasting is a real concern for all the subdivision houses surrounding the property, in part because many of the surrounding neighborhoods are situated on a ridge above creeks that feed into Sewell Mill Creek.  Isakson Living plans to 'grade' at least 25-30 feet of large sections of the property in order to make it flat.  
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Actual houses on the perimeter of the Tritt property. Note that the home foundations could be damaged during the planned blasting of the Tritt property.
Erosion and flooding are real concerns as well, and here are 2 videos of the flood of 2009.
This latest Isakson Living plan was put forward after the wetlands probability blog post.   Some very small areas of wetlands are now acknowledged on the latest Isakson Living plan but the main areas of probable wetlands are not included on this plan. 

Freshwater Forested / Shrub Wetlands are most likely located in the floodplain along Sewell Mill Creek, and not only can wetlands not be built on but often different construction techniques would need to be used so as not to damage them, according to federal and state wetlands guidelines. 

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Isakson Living Image with highlighting added: Current Isakson Living plan acknowledges wetlands (next to yellow arrows), while many maintain that wetlands exist throughout the Sewell Mill Creek banks, as they do on either side of the Tritt property along the banks of the Sewell Mill Creek (see image below).
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Actual wetlands on either side of the Tritt property along the Sewell Mill Creek, according to the National Wetlands Inventory. The Tritt property has not yet been surveyed since the Inventory began.
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Probable Freshwater Forested / Shrub Wetlands along Sewell Mill Creek at East Cobb Park
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Henslow's Sparrow is an endangered bird in this area
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Deer on the Tritt property near East Cobb Park in January 2015
The impact to East Cobb Park cannot be overstated either.  Isakson Living has stated the project would take roughly 4 years of intensive construction, but this is after being told it would take 10 years for the project to be complete.  Very little in the footprint of the project has changed since the first plan, so it is difficult to know how the timeline became shorter. 

East Cobb Park is the jewel of East Cobb.  Residents from all areas of metro Atlanta come to enjoy the trails, playgrounds, green spaces and  Sewell Mill Creek.  A development of this size takes years to complete and the environmental  impact of a multi-year construction project on the surrounding area can't be underestimated.
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View from East Cobb Park in winter: If all the trees in the center of the Tritt property tree line were cleared, the view from East Cobb Park would be overwhelmed with 11 large mostly 4-story apartment buildings. (image from February 2015)
Isakson Living has been good stewards of Park Springs in Stone Mountain, and the recent media coverage of the talent show performance at that CCRC speaks well of senior living communities. We want to restate that we support senior living communities. However, it is clear that the large-scale commercial Isakson Living East Cobb CCRC  would not be compatible with the topography of the Tritt property, or with the surrounding community.
We encourage everyone to:

sign the new petition 
&/or 
email the Board of Commissioners to Vote No to Z-2 Isakson Living plan for East Cobb 
&/or 
attend the March 3 and March 17 Board of Commissioners meetings
  

We want to thank the East Cobb community for continuing to urge the Board of Commissioners to deny this project. 

United we can make a difference!

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The front of the Tritt property

Support our Glenside neighbors by opposing zoning Z-6

2/2/2015

 
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3-story 75,000 square feet Storage Facility proposal near Tritt property
There is another zoning in East Cobb of interest, Z-6 2015, for a 3-story self-storage facility on 1.42 acres at 3700 Roswell Road, which is a little to the east of the Isakson Living proposal and directly across from the WellStar Health Park, which avoided zoning. The Glenside subdivision is between the Tritt property where Isakson Living (Z-2 2015) proposes to build a retirement community, and the site of this proposed self-storage facility.  The Z-6 site is also against the Alderwood subdivision, currently under construction on Robinson Road, and the Keller Williams Realty building.

The residents of Glenside subdivision, the developer of Alderwood, and the East Cobb Civic Association (ECCA), are all opposed to Z-6, because the self-storage facility is a huge, monolithic, 75,000 square ft building with 450 storage units, and because it does not provide for a good transition from the 3-story Keller Williams Realty building, to the homes of the Glenside and Alderwood subdivisions. To compare, WellStar is 162,000 square ft, and Isakson Living plans for 999,960 square ft.  

The Z-6 site is currently zoned for low-rise (2-story) offices, which would provide a better transition from heavier commercial uses to residences.  The residents of Glenside, as well as the future residents of Alderwood, do not want to look at a huge commercial building in their backyards.

FYI, the builder of this proposed self-storage facility has already built a similar facility in East Cobb, on north Johnson Ferry Road, near its intersection with Shallowford Road.  This large facility sits in the middle of a commercial area, between the bank in front of the Super Wal-Mart, and the Kroger shopping center.  The Z-6 proposal is very different, because it sits on the edge of a commercial area, up against homes.

The Z-6 zoning case will be heard at the Planning Commission zoning hearing 9 AM on Tuesday, February 3 at the Board of Commissioners meeting room at 100 Cherokee St, Marietta.  If you can, please join our Glenside neighbors in opposition to Z-6 at the Tuesday meeting.  If you cannot be there, please write the Cobb County Board of Commissioners and Planning Commissioners, to tell them you also oppose Z-6 (see form below).  

Isakson Living zoning will be still be heard at the Planning Commission zoning hearing at
9 AM on Tuesday, March 3rd.
Email the Commissioners about the Z-6 Rezoning plans:  You can easily add your own words in the 'Your Comments' section below.  When you click 'Send' the email will be automatically sent to the Zoning Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners. 
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If you want to email your own letter directly, here are all the email addresses for the Cobb County Commissioners & Zoning Committee:
[email protected], 
[email protected], 
[email protected], 
[email protected], 
[email protected], 
[email protected], 
[email protected], 
[email protected], 
[email protected], 
[email protected]
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    The Concerned Citizens of East Cobb

    The Concerned Citizens of East Cobb represents thousands of East Cobbers who want the 54-acre Tritt property next to East Cobb Park to be fully conserved as a park.

    ​Read more blog posts from this website here,
    and read previous blogs posts from the first CCEastCobb website here.

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