Blog for Concerned Citizens of East Cobb Over Isakson Living

New BoC Agenda Item on Isakson Living

4/21/2016

District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott put forward an agenda item recommending the Board of Commissioners direct the Cobb County Legal Department to end mediation with Isakson Living so that the "languishing" case can proceed on to the Cobb County Superior Court. This agenda item will be discussed and voted on at the next Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 7:00 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting at 100 Cherokee Street, 2nd Floor BoC room, near the Marietta Square. Wear green shirts to show our continued support to deny the original Isakson Living plan. You can also watch the April 26 meeting live on TV 23. We will post updates after the vote.

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This Agenda Item is published here: http://160.73.50.75/countyclerk/0/doc/29652/Page1.aspx

COBB COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
REGULAR AGENDA COVER
REGULAR MEETING OF APRIL 26, 2016
ITEM
NO. 1
District 2 (Southeast Cobb)
To direct Legal to proceed in the Cobb County Superior Court with the litigation of Tritt and Isakson Living Communities, LLC v. Cobb County, Georgia, et al.

Agenda Item Number. 1
Cobb County Board of Commissioners
Comm. Dist. Bob Ott, Commissioner, District 2

100 Cherokee Street, Suite 300
Marietta, Georgia 30090-7000
(770) 528-3315 / fax: (770) 528-2606

TO: David Hankerson, County Manager
FROM: Bob Ott, Commissioner
This item has been electronically signed by:
Bob Ott, Commissioner, District 2
Lisa Cupid, Commissioner, District 4

DATE:
April 26, 2016

PURPOSE
To direct Legal to proceed in the Cobb County Superior Court with the litigation of Tritt and
Isakson Living Communities, LLC v. Cobb County, Georgia, et al.

BACKGROUND
Wylene S. Tritt and Isakson Living Communities, LLC ( Plaintiffs) filed suit against Cobb County, Georgia on April 16, 2015 to appeal the BOC decision to deny the rezoning of a 53 acre tract from R-20 to CCRC. The property fronts Roswell Road in the vicinity of the new WellStar facility, with a park on one side and residential subdivisions on the other side and to the rear. The parties attended mediation on two separate occasions, November 16, 2015 and January 18, 2016. At the second mediation, the mediator ended the mediation because it appeared that the parties would not reach a resolution. The parties had previously agreed to stay discovery pending the outcome of mediation. However, in February, 2016, counsel for the Plaintiffs notified Legal that a written plan of the final offer verbalized at mediation would be delivered by March 11, 2016 so that the property could be posted, advertised and presented for a vote by the full BOC. To date no plan has been received and the matter has been languishing.

RECOMMENDATION
The Board of Commissioners direct Legal to proceed in the Cobb County Superior Court with the litigation of Tritt and Isakson Living Communities, LLC v. Cobb County, Georgia, et al.

Cobb County District 2 Commissioner Race

4/15/2016

The District 2 Election will be Decided on May 24, if there are no Democrat challengers

General Information

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners, or BOC, is made up of five Commissioners: four district Commissioners who represent their districts plus one Chairman who represents the whole county. The BOC is in charge of most aspects of county government, except for schools. The BOC is in charge of zoning decisions which can affect the quality of life for Cobb residents.

Cobb County district commissioner is considered a part-time, paid position, unlike the Chairman position, which is full-time and pays considerably more.

East Cobb falls in Commission Districts 2 and 3, though due to recent boundary changes, most of East Cobb is now in District 2 (see new map below).

The candidates for the Republican nominee for Cobb County Commission District 2 are Bob Ott (incumbent) and Jonathan Page. If no Democrat runs for this seat, the winner of the Republican primary on May 24, 2016 will be the winner of the November election.

The Primary date is May 24, 2016. See the Cobb Elections website for more info. Early voting starts in May, and you can view all the early voting dates and locations here.

To vote in the primary, citizens must be registered by April 26, 2016. You can check here to see if you are registered, and to get the location of your polling place

When you get to your polling location on May 24, you must choose to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary. Georgia is an open primary state, so you can vote in either primary, and you won’t be asked about your party affiliation, if any. To vote for Bob Ott or Jonathan Page, you must choose to vote in the Republican primary.

New District 2 Map

New District 2 Areas

Many NEW East Cobbers can vote in this election.

The area of Cobb Commission District 2 was changed by the state legislature as part of redistricting of Cobb County in 2014.

Many areas north of Roswell Road, which were formerly in District 3, are now in District 2. Commissioner JoAnn Birrell’s District 3 map changed too.

The District 2 area now includes most of the Pope High School area, as well as part of Lassiter High School. District 2 still covers the Walton and Wheeler High School areas in East Cobb.

Voters who live in the new boundaries of District 2 can vote for the District 2 Commissioner this year, even if they voted for the District 3 Commissioner in 2014. See the new map here.

The Isakson Living project is now a major campaign issue in the District 2 race, so it's important we all vote on May 24, 2016. Johnathan Page is challenging Bob Ott for his seat on the Cobb County Board of Commissioners. A major backer of Jonathan Page criticizes Bob Ott's zoning decision on Isakson Living. In the April 14, 2016 Marietta Daily Journal, Jim Rhoden, a major supporter of Page, criticized Ott's decision to deny the Isakson Living zoning next to East Cobb Park, called "Tritt Walk" in the article. See the full article here &/or this recent blog post about his stance.

Jonathan Page backer criticizes Bob Ott for denying Isakson Living plan

4/14/2016

Isakson Living Proposal from February 2015. [Note about East Cobb Park location added.]

The Isakson Living project has become a major campaign issue in the Cobb Republican Primary set for May 24. Johnathan Page is challenging Bob Ott for his seat on the Cobb County Board of Commissioners.

A major backer of Jonathan Page criticizes Bob Ott's zoning decision on Isakson Living: In today's Marietta Daily Journal, Jim Rhoden, a major supporter of Page, criticized Ott's decision to deny the Isakson Living zoning next to East Cobb Park, called "Tritt Walk" in the article. View the entire MDJ article here.

We were pleased to see Commissioner Bob Ott uphold zoning rights and vote to deny the large-scale CCRC plan as proposed by Isakson Living on March 17, 2015. Isakson Living then started litigation against Cobb County and the Board of Commissioners after the decision, and the case is still in mediation.

During the March 17, 2015 meeting, the Board of Commissioners also placed a 1-year moratorium on all CCRC applications until the CCRC zoning code, drafted in part by Isakson Living, could be reviewed. The recommended CCRC changes were proposed January 2016, but Chairman Lee voted to put a hold on adopting the suggested CCRC changes.

Excerpt from the Marietta Daily Journal article from April 14, 2016

District 2 campaign disclosure reports show split in business community
by Meris Lutz

Campaign donations in the race for District 2 county commissioner, which pits incumbent Bob Ott against attorney Jonathan Page, show an apparent split in the business and development community over the two candidates.

Page has sought to cast Ott as an obstructionist, while Ott has said voters don’t want a candidate who will “vote yes to get along.”

Page and Ott are both running as Republicans, meaning the outcome will likely be determined at the May 24 primary. Independent and third-party candidates, however, have until June to declare.

....

As for the apparent shared base of support between himself and Chairman Lee, Page said he was “not aware of any policy perspective that Lee and I share.”Rhoden, for his part, said he was “flattered by the suggestion that (he was) a mastermind behind anything,” saying he was “one of many” who urged Page to run.

Rhoden said he was “thoroughly disappointed” with Ott, whom he called a source of “strife and aggravation” on the Board of Commissioners who voted inconsistently.

By way of example, Rhoden pointed to Ott’s vote against Tritt Walk, a 481-unit residential senior living development proposed by developer Isakson Living. Rhoden pointed out that Ott had voted in favor of another senior living development in a residential area, Sterling Estates, which was approved with 90 units and six cottage duplexes in 2012.

Ott said the two cases were completely different, emphasizing the difference in density between 481 units and 90.

“Every zoning case has to be looked at on its own merits,” Ott said. He went on to say that campaign donations from property managers, businesses and members of the Cumberland CID contradicts the criticism that he is not a team player.

“What it shows is I meet (with the business community) and listen to their concerns and we work together to make the community better,” Ott said. “Those are the very people that my opponent is accusing me of not working with.”
Separately, District 4 Commissioner Lisa Cupid is running for re-election unopposed.

Click to read the entire Marietta Daily Journal article here.

Concerned Citizens of East Cobb

New BoC Agenda Item on Isakson Living

Cobb County District 2 Commissioner Race

Jonathan Page backer criticizes Bob Ott for denying Isakson Living plan

The Concerned Citizens of East Cobb

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